Benefits of breastfeeding
Release time : 03/01/2025 11:57:31
Breast milk is the best gift a mother can give to her baby. It is the baby's initial nutritious food.
Every mother knows that breastfeeding is good for her baby, but what are the specific benefits of breastfeeding? The simple answer of "can promote the baby's development and enhance the baby's resistance" cannot satisfy the mothers 'strong thirst for knowledge about the benefits of breastfeeding. Today, let's learn more about the benefits of breastfeeding and related knowledge about breastfeeding.
The benefits of breastfeeding can be understood from two main aspects: the benefits for mothers, and the benefits for babies. The specific details are as follows: 1. Benefits for Mothers: - It reduces the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. - It lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. - It helps to control weight. - It improves skin elasticity and reduces wrinkles. - It promotes uterine recovery and reduces postpartum bleeding. - It enhances the nutritional value of breast milk, strengthening the immune system of the baby. 2. Benefits for Babies: - It provides rich nutrition to help the baby grow healthily. - It strengthens the baby's immunity and reduces the chances of falling ill. - It helps to establish a close bond between mother and child. - It promotes brain development in the baby, improving cognitive abilities. - Through sucking actions, it stimulates the development of the baby’s oral and digestive systems.
Benefits for moms when breastfeeding: 1. Breastfeeding helps to restore the mother's figure. Breast milk ensures that the baby has a healthy body, and breastfeeding also aids in restoring the mother's figure.
Breastfeeding can effectively consume the fat accumulated during pregnancy, promote recovery of body shape and avoid obesity in postpartum.
Breast feeding mothers should wear a proper cotton bra to make their breasts fuller and avoid sagging.
2. Breastfeeding can help the recovery of the mother's uterus. Breastfeeding can promote the contraction of the uterus, help the uterus shrink to its previous size, reduce vaginal bleeding, and prevent anemia.
Breastfeeding mothers have a more rapid and thorough recovery of their uterus than those who do not.
3. Breastfeeding can reduce the risk of mothers getting sick. According to a World Cancer Research Fund survey, 90% of women worldwide don't know that breastfeeding for six months can effectively lower their chances of developing breast cancer.
Research has shown that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of ovarian and breast cancer, as well as prevent urinary tract infections and osteoporosis, protecting mothers' health. Breastfeeding is also effective in helping mothers to avoid pregnancy.
A large number of studies over the years have shown that exclusive breastfeeding in a certain way is a natural and effective method of contraception at least for the first 6 months of life.
During lactation, ovulation is temporarily halted and can serve as an effective form of contraception. It helps to delay the onset of a subsequent pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Benefits for Babies: 1. It enhances the baby's immunity and reduces disease. The active substances in breast milk can prevent harmful bacteria and viruses from growing in the undeveloped body of babies.
Breastfed infants seldom have respiratory diseases, but infants fed with formula milk often suffer from such diseases as bronchitis and pneumonia.
2. Easy to digest, avoid constipation. Breast milk helps the baby's intestines produce beneficial bacteria that aid in digestion, making breast milk easy to digest.
Consuming formula milk results in fewer beneficial bacteria, hence it is not easy to digest.
Breastfed infants rarely have constipation, and even if they don't defecate for 2 or 3 days, the feces they do pass out are soft.
4. Promote muscle development in babies. When a baby sucks on their mother's breast, they are doing something that helps to develop the jaw and facial structure.
Teeth and mouth shape issues often arise in infants who are fed with bottled milk as they grow up.
5. Promote the growth of baby's brain, brain development is very important for babies.
Lactation contains all the correct ingredients to help develop the brain and nervous system of infants.
Research findings indicate that preterm infants who are breastfed have higher IQ scores than those who are formula-fed when they are eight years old.
What is the best time to breastfeed? Today, more and more people advocate for breastfeeding. It's because the ingredients in breast milk are very high value, which benefits both the baby and the mother.
When is the best time to breastfeed? Some mothers complain that breastfeeding for too long has made it difficult for their baby to wean, and that their figure has also been affected.
So, how long should breastfeeding last? Let's find out together.
The World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health in China both recommend that breastfeeding can continue until the age of two. Of course, during this period of breastfeeding, babies can begin to eat solid foods at 6 months. Children who are fed by mixed feeding or formula milk can start eating solid foods at 4-6 months.
However, considering that the legal maternity leave for pregnant women only lasts about three months, many working women find it difficult to persist in breastfeeding for a long time. Therefore, experts have indicated that breastfeeding should ideally continue until the baby is between eight and one year old.
If you want to wean your baby in 8 months, it is best to start from 6 months and gradually reduce the number of breastfeeding sessions and replace them with foods suitable for babies.
Additionally, it is important to consider the timing of weaning, as mothers should opt for seasons like spring and autumn, as these are not too hot nor too cold, making them ideal for weaning. The baby is also more likely to adapt to this process during these times.
However, if the baby's health condition is poor or prone to illnesses, especially those with allergies or intestinal issues, it is recommended that mothers breastfeed until the age of 1 year, and even up to the age of 2 years, which is beneficial for the recovery of the baby's body.
Nursing Care for Breastfeeding: Initially, I thought that after the hardship of carrying a baby for nine months, "unloading" would be the end of my worries and allow me to relax and rest.
After a baby is born, it becomes clear that parenthood is indeed a challenging journey. From feeding the baby when hungry, changing their diapers when wet or soiled, to holding them when they need comfort, there's never a moment of rest for a mother. Especially with the goal of ensuring the baby's development and health, she must also bear the risk of affecting her own recovery in terms of figure.
Since even a charming figure can be "sacrificed", of course, the effect of breast-feeding must be perfect to be worthy of ourselves, right? Therefore, in order to maximize the benefits of breastfeeding, mothers must clearly understand the precautions for breastfeeding.
1. Breast maintenance should be started before pregnancy. If a pregnant mother decides to breastfeed, she should start caring for her breasts before pregnancy. Pay attention to massage when taking a bath and wear a loose corset to avoid pressing the breast and causing blockages. If there are problems such as inverted nipples, you can consult your doctor and correct it as soon as possible.
2. Milk should be opened as soon as possible after childbirth. Generally speaking, 30 minutes after childbirth, although the new mother has not opened milk yet and there may not be enough milk in the breast, try to give the baby the breast to suck and cultivate the baby to suck the breast as soon as possible. habit of sucking the breast.
Otherwise, the baby may reject her mother's breasts in the future.
3. Do not let your baby sleep with a nipple in their mouth. Babies who nurse while sleeping can be unhygienic and may cause asphyxiation, vomiting, and can affect the development of the baby's dental arches, leading to deformities.
4. Pay attention to diet during breastfeeding, mothers should consume a nutritionally light diet. Avoid foods that are too salty, greasy, spicy, etc., as these can cause irritation in the body and make one prone to conditions like constipation.
Additionally, to ensure example breast milk supply, mothers can consume an appropriate amount of foods that promote milk production, such as Mu-melon stew fish soup.
5. Maintain a cheerful and optimistic mood, and the mother should feed with a relaxed demeanor.
If a mother is under mental strain or feeling very tense, it can affect the secretion of breast milk.
The correct method of breastfeeding is something every mother knows, and breastfeeding is beneficial. However, when a mother decides to feed her baby with her own milk, do you know the correct methods? Don't think that just putting the nipple into the baby's mouth is the way to feed. When and how to feed, all these things have their secrets.
The correct method for breastfeeding 1: pay attention to hygiene. Before nursing, mothers must wash their hands and nipples with warm water, and then dry them with a hot towel to prevent sweat stains or dirt and bacteria on the nipples from entering the baby's body through the mouth when the baby is sucking milk.
Additionally, gently knead the breast before feeding to express a few drops of milk and then begin nursing.
Method Two: The correct position. After giving birth, you can use the lying down feeding posture for a few days.
In the future, it is generally recommended to adopt a sitting position, seated on the bed or chair with soft cushions behind to securely support the back. Relax and enjoy breastfeeding comfortably.
Hold the child with one arm, and with the other hand, use your index finger and middle finger to pinch the top of the teat. Pull down slightly on the nipple so that the breast does not block the baby's nose. This prevents milk from flowing too quickly into the baby's mouth causing choking or regurgitation.
Breastfeeding Correct Method Three: There is a lot of information out there on how to breastfeed. Many experts say that in the first three to four days, babies should be fed every two to three hours during the day and up to two to three times at night.
When babies are about 3 months old, they usually need to be fed every 4 hours, five times a day and one to two times at night.
It is recommended that mothers set a fixed feeding time to prevent missed or extra feedings.
Additionally, it is important to note that mothers should not feed their babies just because they cry. It is crucial to ascertain whether the baby's crying is due to hunger, needing to urinate, or discomfort before taking appropriate action.
Correct Method Four: Adding Feeds. Generally speaking, even if breastfeeding, it is possible to start adding feeds at the age of 6 months for the baby.
The baby food can provide more diverse and complete various nutrients, including calories, iron and vitamins, even trace elements like zinc and copper.
By providing different types of complementary foods according to the age, we can help babies become accustomed to various flavors, avoiding the issue of picky eating later on.
The medical part covered in this article is for reading and reference only.
If you feel unwell, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately, and the medical diagnosis and treatment will be subject to offline diagnosis.