Breastfeeding is a common practice, but there is a lot of information that mothers are ignorant of. What follows is the most important information about breastfeeding.
Pregnancy and childbirth are among the most beautiful life experiences in a woman''s life, despite their difficulty. Women feel an increase in their communication with their baby after giving birth, especially during breastfeeding.
Continue reading the following article to learn about breastfeeding that you may know for the first time:
Information about breastfeeding
Here are the most important information about breastfeeding
1. The stages of breast milk
Mother''s milk contains all the nutrients that are important for a child''s development, which makes it the best food that can be given to infants.
The concentrations of the components of breast milk change depending on the age stage that the infant reaches, and the vital needs of his body during this period. In the following, an explanation of the stages of changes in the components of breast milk:
The mother''s body begins to produce thick, yellow colostrum in small quantities during the few days after birth. This milk is characterized by its richness in nutrients such as proteins, fats, white blood cells and immune bodies, which helps develop the child''s immunity and protect it from any pathogenic infection after birth.
The mother''s body begins to produce transitional milk during the 10-14 days after birth, as a stage between the transformation of colostrum milk into mature milk, which the mother''s body continues to produce during the remaining period of breastfeeding.
Mature milk is distinguished by its lighter color and lighter texture than colostrum, and is rich in proteins, fats, sugars and vitamins that are important for building the child’s body and its growth during the coming days.
It is recommended to rely on breast milk as the only source of food during the first six months of the child''s life.
2. Breastfeeding does not cause pain
In the normal situation, breastfeeding does not cause any pain to the mother, but the mother may be exposed to certain conditions that may cause pain, such as: blockage of the milk ducts, or cracked nipples.
Even in these cases, it is recommended to continue breastfeeding while making sure to use a cream containing Lanolin to get rid of nipple cracks.
3. Milk leakage from the breast
It is normal for milk to leak even when the baby is not breastfed.
In the event that you are disturbed by it, you can use a special lining under the clothes, and not use a breast pump (Breast Pump) Because it could make things worse in this case.
4. Weight loss
Breastfeeding helps stimulate weight loss after childbirth, as breastfeeding burns the equivalent of 500 calories per day, so if you want to lose weight after childbirth, you can start breastfeeding to achieve this.
During this period, it is recommended to follow a diet rich in proteins from meat, essential vitamins and minerals, in addition to drinking a sufficient amount of fluids so that the mother can provide an adequate amount of milk and obtain adequate nutrition for her body.
Benefits of breastfeeding
Breast milk and breastfeeding have many benefits for both the mother and the child, both physically and psychologically. In the following, we mention the most prominent of these benefits:
Numerous studies have proven the role of breast milk in reducing the chance of infection with infectious and inflammatory diseases, diabetes, allergies, asthma, various immune diseases, obesity, and slow mental and physical development of children.
It was found that breastfeeding has a healthy effect on the mother and the child psychologically, as the secretion of the hormone oxytocin increases, which increases the child’s sense of happiness and security when touching the mother, hearing her voice, and strengthening the bond between the mother and her child.
Breastfeeding offers many health effects for the mother. Breastfeeding reduces the chance of postpartum depression, bleeding, anemia, diabetes, uterine and ovarian cancer, heart disease, and works to restore the uterus to its normal size.
After we got to know the most important information about breastfeeding and its benefits, here are the most important contraindications to breastfeeding.
Contraindications to breastfeeding
Although breastfeeding is preferred over formula milk, there are some cases in which breastfeeding may cause harm to the child, the most prominent of which are the following:
1. Permanent contraindications to breastfeeding
These barriers include
The mother is infected with some types of viral infections, such as: HIV, human T-lymphocyte development virus, Ebola virus, and active tuberculosis virus.
The mother''s abuse of drugs, such as cocaine and heroin.
The birth of a child with a rare genetic disease that leads to an increase in galactosemia, which is present in breast milk.
2. Temporary contraindications to breastfeeding
These barriers include the following
If the mother is infected with brucellosis or herpes simplex virus (HSV), she can return to breastfeeding after recovery.
The use of dyes used during diagnostic imaging.
The use of some types of medicines that may be transmitted to the child during breastfeeding, such as: migraine headache medicines. You can confirm the medicines by asking the doctor or pharmacist.
It is worth noting that taking vaccinations and getting infected with seasonal diseases, such as: colds and influenza, and even infection with the emerging coronavirus (Covid-19) are not a contraindication to breastfeeding.
