Breastfeeding is Best

Breastfeeding provides the best nutrition and protection from illness for your baby. For most infants, breast milk is all that is needed for the first 6 months. Many mothers continue to breastfeed after 6 months and then give other foods as well. For advice on breastfeeding, consult your doctor or any other health professional, or a friend or relative who has successfully breastfed. Frequent feeding is the best way to establish and maintain a good milk supply. A well-balanced diet, both during pregnancy and after delivery, also helps sustain an adequate supply of breastmilk.

Remember: Breast Milk is the best and most economical food for your baby.

Seek Advice: The use of foods which are not intended for young babies can be harmful. Unnecessary introduction of partial bottle-feeding or other foods and drinks will have a negative effect on breastfeeding. Therefore, always consult a health professional before introducing anything other than breastmilk.

Using a Breast Milk substitute: If a doctor or other health professional recommends an infant milk substitute in addition to breastfeeding or its replacement during the first 6 months, keep your family circumstances and costs in mind before deciding whether to use infant formula. You will need more than one pack (200g) per week if your baby is only bottle-fed. Unboiled water, unboiled bottles or incorrect dilution can make your baby ill. Improper use of infant milk substitute and feeding bottles may have adverse implications on the health of the baby. Always follow instructions exactly. You should be aware of the difficulties in reverting to breast-feeding of infants after a period of feeding by infant milk substitute.

Characteristics of Breast Milk

Immediately after delivery, your breast milk is yellowish and sticky. This milk is called Colostrum which is secreted during the first week of delivery. Colostrum is more nutritious than mature milk because it contains more protein, more anti-infective properties which are of great importance for the infant’s defence against dangerous neonatal infections. It also contains higher levels of Vitamin ‘A’.
You must feed Colostrum to your baby as it is rich in many nutrients.
Do not instead give sugar water, honey water, butter or other concoctions.
Breast milk is a complete and balanced food and provides all the nutrients needed by the infant in the first few months of its birth; has anti-infective properties that protect the infant from infections in the early months; is always available and needs no utensils or water (which might carry germs) or fuel for its preparation.

Advantages of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is much cheaper than feeding an infant milk substitute as the cost of extra food needed by the mother is negligible compared to cost of feeding infant milk substitute.

Mothers who breastfeed usually have longer periods of infertility after childbirth than non-lactators.
Breastfeeding immediately after delivery enables the contraction of the womb and helps the mother to regain her figure quickly.

Management of Breastfeeding

In order to promote and support breastfeeding, the mother’s natural desire to breastfeed should always be encouraged by giving, where needed, practical advice and making sure that she has the support of her relatives.
Breastfeeding is successful when the infant suckles frequently and the mother wanting to breast-feed is confident in her ability to do so.
Before delivery, remember to tell your doctor you intend to breastfeed.
You should breastfeed your baby as soon as he is delivered.
Doctors prefer that you and your infant should stay together immediately after delivery. (This is called “rooming-in”.)
Let your baby suckle on demand. Breastfeed him whenever he cries.
Consult your doctor on adequate care for your breasts and nipples during pregnancy; wash breasts during daily bath with clean water. After breast feeding wipe breasts with clean cloth or allow them to dry naturally before dressing.
Keep your body and clothes and that of your infant always neat and clean.