Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding helps lay the foundations of a healthy life for a baby and also makes a positive contribution to the health and wider wellbeing of mothers and families. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended until babies are around six months.
The Benefits of Breastfeeding
Benefits for baby
- Breastmilk is easily digested and is free, always fresh and immediately available
- A mother with a healthy diet provides breastmilk with a perfect blend of nutrients and protective antibodies (although it doesn’t replace the need for immunisations)
- Breastfeeding helps baby grow and develop physically and emotionally
- Breastfeeding and breastmilk helps protect a baby from chest infections, meningitis, ear infections and urine infections
- Breastfeeding decreases the risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI)
- Breastfeeding and breastmilk may protect a baby from chronic tummy problems and some childhood cancers – there is also evidence of a reduced risk of allergies, eczema and asthma
- Breastfeeding helps reduce the risk of obesity and may help reduce the risk of diabetes in baby’s later life.
Benefits for Mothers
- Breastfeeding helps mothers recover from birth.
- Skin-to-skin contact is a wonderful way to start intimately connecting with your baby and a great boost to breastfeeding
- Breastfeeding reduces the risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer in mothers
- Breastfeeding may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, osteoporosis and hip fracture in mothers later in life
- Breastfeeding may help mum to lose the weight gained through pregnancy
- Breastfeeding can be part of a healthier lifestyle for mum
Preparing for Breastfeeding
Toughening up the nipples is NOT necessary
Pregnant women will be pleased to hear that all those stories about toughening up nipples by rubbing them with a towel, nail brush or toothbrush are just that – stories and advice from the past when we didn’t know about how babies actually suckled at the breast.
About twenty-five years ago it was thought that nipples had to ‘toughen up’ to help cope with the baby’s strong sucking. Now we know a lot more about how a baby actually attaches to the breast and we know a lot about how to avoid nipple damage by using good latching and positioning techniques and by NOT using a toothbrush on those nipples!
It’s good to remember that pregnant women do not need to do any nipple ‘toughening up’ exercises as advice may be received from women who did this themselves and still think it’s important and necessary.
Very little preparation is needed
So what preparation of the breasts and nipples do pregnant women actually need to do? Very little in fact. The hormonal changes during pregnancy will help prepare the breasts for breastfeeding.
The nipples and areola (the area around the nipples) will darken which is part of the protective process and the little glands that you may notice on your areola (Montgomery’s glands) secrete protective lubrication. Pregnant women will not notice this but their body is quietly doing all this in preparation for breastfeeding.
Avoid putting any creams or oils on the nipples and try not to use soap directly on them as this may cause dry skin.
The first milk – Colostrum
Pregnant women may notice that their breasts start to leak colostrum (the first milk) during pregnancy which is normal and not a problem. It’s also not a concern if breasts do not leak colostrum. Every mother is an individual with her hormone levels, breast development and experiences and there is a wide range of normal in terms of breast changes in pregnancy.
How to Breastfeed