WHY BREASTFEEDING IS THE BEST FEEDING?

Dear Mummies,
Ever wondered what is the big deal about breastfeeding?
Are all those sleepless nights and time & effort spent pumping milk for your baby worth it???

Read on and you'll never regret Breastfeeding!
Even a drop of breastmilk has such wonderful nutrients that NO other artificial milk can replace.

What is Breastmilk made of?

Just the right amount for your Baby

Water is the main composition of Breastmilk. 

This is why Babies age 6 months and below do not need additional water.

WORRIED THAT BABY'S JAUNDICE MIGHT PROLONG BECAUSE OF EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING & NO WATER?
BELOW IS EVIDENCED BASED PROOF  EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING DOES NO HARM.

WORRIED THAT BABY MIGHT GET CONSTIPATED BECAUSE OF EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING & NO WATER?
THIS IS HOW AN EXCLUSIVELY BREASTFED BABY'S STOOL USUALLY LOOK LIKE

Watery, Yellowish & Seedy

How is Breastmilk Superior to Other Milk in Terms of Composition?

Both Human & Cow Milk has Proteins.
Hoevever, as shown in the graph above,
Human Milk is much easier to digest compared with Cow's Milk.
EVER WONDERED WHY A BABY DRINKING FORMULA SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT,
WHEREAS A BABY BREASTFEEDING GETS UP OFTEN TO FEED?
Because a breastfed baby digests the milk easily, hence gets hugry faster.
Whereas a baby drinking formula has difficulty digesting it, hence sleeps through the night to save calories working hard digesting the formula.
SO MUMMIES, PLEASE DO NOT CONCLUDE THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH BREASTMILK IF YOUR BABY FEEDS OFTEN  :-)

Both Human & Cow Milk has Vitamis.
The Quantity of Vitamins is higher in Human Milk.

How does Breastfeeding Boosts Baby's Immunity?

Gone with the days of mythology whereby you cannot breastfeed your baby when you are ill.
The actual fact is, YOU SHOULD CONTINUE BREASTFEEDING & IT BENEFITS YOUR BABY!

Still Not Convinced Mummies?

Below are some Evidence Based Prove That Breastmilk has Anti-Infective Properties.

WHAT OTHER BENEFITS BABY GAIN FROM BREASTFEEDING?

- (THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING,7th Revised Edition, page 350). “Breastfed babies have a decreased likelihood for allergies and dental caries. They also benefit from appropriate jaw, teeth and speech development as well as overall facial development. This means that people who were artificially fed may experience more trips to doctors and dentists “

-American Journal of Clinical (1999)- Meta-analysis (7000 children) showed that the IQ of a breastfed baby is 5.2 points higher that a non-breastfed baby. 

-Bonding with Mother


WHAT DO MOTHERS GAIN FROM BREASTFEEDING BABIES?

-Reduces the risk of breast cancer. Women who breastfeed reduce their risk of developing breast cancer by as much as 25 percent.. The more months or years a mother breastfeeds, the lower her risk of breast cancer.

-Reduces the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer. Estrogen levels are lower during lactation, hence the less estrogen available to stimulate the lining of the uterus and perhaps breast tissue also, the less the risk of these tissues becoming cancerous.

      -Lessens osteoporosis. Non-breastfeeding women have a four times greater chance of developing osteoporosis than breastfeeding women and are more likely to suffer from hip fractures in the post-menopausal years.

       -Benefits child spacing. Since breastfeeding delays ovulation, the longer a mother breastfeeds the more she is able to practice natural childspacing, if she desires

        -Promotes emotional health. Studies show that breastfeeding mothers show less postpartum anxiety and depression than do formula-feeding mothers.

-Promotes postpartum weight loss. Breastfeeding mothers showed significantly larger reductions in hip circumference and more fat loss by one month postpartum when compared with formula-feeding moms. Breastfeeding mothers tend to have an earlier return to their pre-pregnant weight.

       -Costs less to breastfeed.

SO WHAT IS SO BAD ABOUT FORMULA MILK?

MANY CHILDREN GROW UP WITH IT...???

What is infant formula?

Infant formula is an industrially produced milk product designed for infant consumption. Usually based on either cow or soy milk, infant formula strives to duplicate the nutrient content of natural human milk. Since the exact chemical properties of breast milk are still unknown, 'formula' is necessarily an imperfect approximation.

The composition of formula, is a CHEMICAL PREPARATION subject to:

1.Human error

2.Raw materials – including water at manufacturing level and household level

Formulas are at risk of contamination from:

-Arsenic from contaminated well water

-Lead (from boiled-lead containing water)

-Manganese (which may lead to learning disabilities & altered brain chemistry)

-Atrazine (a carcinogen)

-Enterobacter Sakazakii (can cause meningitis)

WHAT ABOUT SOY MILK??

We sincerely Hope you Breastfeed Your Baby with Full of Love, Pride & Joy!

EVERY DROP OF BREASTMILK IS PRECIOUS!

SOURCE: NATIONAL LACTATION CENTRE

Methods of Feeding Your Child Expressed Breastmilk

Training an infant to accept expressed breastmilk should be initiated at an age not less than 4 weeks.
Training an infant to accept expressed breastmilk should be initiated when baby is calm & not too hungry.

Expressed Breastmilk can be fed to Infants Using:

(1) Syringe

(2) Spoon

(3) Cup Feeding

How to Cup Feed your Baby?
1. Position: Baby has to be Upright (90 degrees) or Semi-Upright (45 degrees);
on caregiver's lap, supported at the back, head, neck & buttocks.
2. Hold the feeding cup and let it come into contact with baby's lower lip with the edge of cup's surface touching baby's upper lip.
3. When baby is alert, he/she will respond by opening his eyes or mouth. Slant the cup slightly & let baby taste the milk slightly. Baby will then initiate to lick and swallow the milk slowly.
4. When baby is full, baby will automatically stop feeding.
5. NEVER ATTEMPT TO POUR MILK INTO BABY'S MOUTH BY YOURSELF.
6. Practice Makes Perfect. This method might be clumsy for a start, but it's worthwhile :-)

Why are Bottle Feedings not encouraged?

Because Bottle Feedings may lead to a scenario called "Nipple Confusion".

Nipple confusion is used to describe those times when a baby is reluctant to breastfeed, and seems to find it easier to bottle-feed expressed milk.

Bottle teats are fairly rigid, with a constant reservoir of milk, so your baby won't have to work hard to get at the milk he wants. But to feed from your breast, your baby must first open his mouth wide to latch on. Then he'll need to use about 40 facial muscles, which he'll work constantly to get his tummy full of milk.

To avoid that scenario, cup feeding is a suggested better option :-)


How to Introduce Expressed Breastmilk to Toddlers?
Sippy Cups are an option to introduce expressed breastmilk to toddlers :-)

For babies with Special Needs, there are other various methods to feed EBM which will be blogged about in another topic. Hope this was helpful :-)

Breastmilk Storage Guidelines & Handling Expressed Breastmilk

Suggested Schedule to Teach Baby to Accept Expressed Breastmilk

Suggested Schedule for Expressing Breastmilk for Working Mothers

Greetings. Assalamualaikum..

Breastfeeding is the Best Feeding for your little loved ones indeed.

With the increasing number of women contributing to economical growth lately, it is possible for these working mothers to `exclusively breastfeed'?

If there is a will, There is a way. (Inshallah)

Mothers, you can express breastmilk for your loved ones to feed on while you are away at work.
You may express either by hand (Marmet technique) OR using a breastpump.

When to Start Expressing Breastmilk?
You may start as early as 2 weeks post partum.

As precautionary measure, do ensure your hands and utensils used while expressing breast milk are clean and sterilized.  Breast milk should be expressed into a clean & suitable container with a cover.
Below is a suggested schedule for beautiful mummies to try out :-)

**Note: MSI stands for "Memerah Susu Ibu" which can either be Tandem Pumping or Pumping/Expressing Breastmilk.

Father's Support in Making Breastfeeding a Success

Assalamualaikum & Greetings.

How many of you ladies face difficulties to breastfeed/ failed to do so due to lack of surrounding support as a major factor?

For most ladies/mummies, the Husband/Father of the Child is the first line of support.

Do all husbands/fathers support breastfeeding? Some do, some don't & some don't care.

 

"The most common reasons bottle-feeding was chosen included: 1) mother's perception of father's attitude, 2) uncertainty regarding the quantity of breast milk, and 3) return to work" 
-Major factors influencing breastfeeding rates: Mother's perception of father's attitude and milk supply.Arora S, McJunkin C, Wehrer J, Kuhn P.



"In many families, fathers play a strong role in the decision of whether to breastfeed. Fathers may be opposed to breastfeeding because of concerns about what their role would be in feeding, whether they would be able to bond with their infant if they were personally unable to feed the baby, and how the mother would be able to accomplish household responsibilities if she breastfed^" 

-Wolfberg AJ, Michels KB, Shields W, O’Campo P, Bronner Y, Bienstock J. Dads as breastfeeding advocates: results from a randomized controlled trial of an educational intervention. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2004;191:708–712. [PubMed] 
-Dennis CL. Breastfeeding initiation and duration: a 1990–2000 literature review. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2002;31:12–32. [PubMed] 
-Scott JA, Binns CW. Factors associated with the initiation and duration of breastfeeding: a review of the literature. Breastfeeding Rev. 1999;7:5–16. [PubMed]

The articles listed above are evidence-based facts with regards to how important a father's role is to make breastfeeding a success. So how can fathers participate?

1. Attend antental/breastfeeding classes with your preggy Mrs, and gain knowledge on breastfeeding.

2. Take part in choosing breastfeeding equipments with your partner/wife. That way, you will learn more about the equipments and be able to assist her when the time comes.

3. If possible, assist your partner/wife during labour so that she is more calm and will be in a steady state of mind to breastfeed later :-)

4. Upon delivery (if in hospital), help your wife to remind healthcare staffs that she wants to fully breastfeed and insist on early skin to skin contact for mother and baby. (Fathers should practice skin to skin contact as well to promote bonding).

5. At home, you can help your partner/wife handle the baby (eg change diapers, bathe, burp) so that your partner/wife can take a nap, pump milk, bathe and etc..

6. Wake up with your partner/wife for night feedings. Keep her company while she is breastfeeding, get a warm drink for her while she is pumping/feeding. A relaxed mind with help a mother's milk supply tremendously.

7. You can participate in feeding by warming up expressed breastmilk and giving cup/syringe feeding to your baby.

8. You can help massage your partner/wife's back to ensure her milk ducts open and milk flows smoothly.

9. You can help with breast issues like engorged breast by soaking hot towels for your wife to compress.

10. Show her love, care & gratitude for carrying your little one in the womb and for feeding your little one!

Do Not Shake Breastmilk

Don't Shake the Milk

Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC

Why not?
Because shaking expressed mothers' milk (or boiling or freezing it) denatures the shaped molecules of the protective proteins, leaving only the pieces - the amino acids - the parts. Lactoferrin, lysozyme, and other protective components work their protection magic when they are in their original shaped molecular structure. Some components remain intact, even during freezing, shaking or heating. They not only protect the gut from many kinds of infection, but also prevent inflammation of the gut lining. Even broken up, the separate amino acids are still really good stuff and are digested by the baby as nutrients.
Imagine a set of pop-beads assembled into a necklace or bracelet. When the beads are acting as a bracelet or necklace, they are doing their job as protective elements. When you break apart the beads, you have in your hand many individual chunks of amino acids which are then digested.
Cellular components are also susceptible to damage by physical stress. After all, they are living cells.
With mother's milk, you get at least two functions for the price of one. With manufactured formula, you only get the individual beads, never the necklace or bracelet. And never the living cells.
So, please handle human milk gently, respectfully and kindly. It's far more than perfect food for babies - it's a living tissue and protective shield too.

© 1998 Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC