A Tribute to Breast Milk

Breast feeding is the normal and healthy way to feed all babies. Breast milk is a vital part of an infant’s diet until one year of age. It also continues to have an important role for the growing child after this time.

Mother-Child Interaction and Bonding

Apart from being the infant’s diet, breast feeding is important for enhancing mother-child interactions. It is the best way to stimulate maternal behavior and bonding. 

Breast milk contains important components which enhance and develop an infant’s immune system, that are not found in any infant formula, even the best of the best infant formulas available in the market.

Why breast feeding is important for babies

A baby who is fed infant formula is more likely to develop a range of preventable illness and chronic diseases throughout the lifecycle. To name a few; diarrhoea, cough and cold, asthma, allergies, coeliac disease, ear infections, obesity, dental decay, and so on.

Benefits of breastfeeding for mother

Mothers who breast feed their babies recover from childbirth quickly, delay menstruating and increase fertility control. They are less likely to develop ovarian cancer, are less likely to develop breast cancer too. Returning to pre-pregnancy weight also becomes easier.

Diet for breastfeeding mothers

Lactogenic foods support lactation. Eating sufficient calories and getting an abundant supply of nutrients is helpful in itself for lactation. But, lactogenic foods contain substances that interact with and support the chemistry of lactation.

Below is the list of foods for lactating mother

• Spices and seeds - fennel seeds, cumin seeds, carom seeds, fenugreek seeds, sesame seeds and turmeric.
• Edible leaves – Fenugreek leaves, dil leaves
• Veggies – carrot, beetroot, yam
• Dry fruits – almonds, cashew, dried fig, edible gum
• Milk, yogurt and other milk products
• Garlic, pepper and ginger

Feed the baby on demand or at an interval of 2-3 hours initially. Encourage the baby to suck at regular intervals even though the milk production is scanty. Sucking action stimulates milk formulation.

Article Source: Experts Specialists Doctors at Columbia Asia Hospital

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