When I was pregnant with JX, it was obvious that I would also nurse JX.  I’m just happy that I already know the basics of breastfeeding so no worries.  I just have to review the numbers (minutes, days and months)  with regards to storage of breastmilk but other than that, I’m good to go!

The top 3 reasons why I tried (and loved!) breastfeeding AD were these:

1. Healthy for the baby;
2. Savings! (Oh yeah!);
3. Back to pre-pregnancy figure w/o effort! (for vanity purposes!).

What I didn’t realize was that the PROs of breastfeeding were more than I can ask for!  There are so many benefits that the baby and the mother can gain that’s why I encourage my friends to breastfeed their babies as long as they could.  And these information is what I share with them and now, to you..

Benefits for the BABY:

1. Nutrition
   • Human breast milk is the ULTIMATE health food for human infants.
   • Breastfed children like vegetables better than formula-fed infants when they’re first introduced to them, probably because they become familiar with the varied tastes and smells that come through the milk of their vegetable-eating mothers.  Thus, encouraging diverse and healthy diet when babies will be more receptive to new foods.
     • I have to agree with this one…AD eats almost anything!  He adores eating vegetables! He’ll even sing , “Ang gulay ng buhay.  Ang gulay ng buhay, sa sinabawang gulay!”
2. Health
   • Breastfed babies make fewer visits to the doctors’ office/ hospitals especially for diarrhea and othe gastrointestinal disorders, rashes and respiratory infections.
     • CORRECT!
   • Human milk feeding DECREASES the incidence and/or severity of diarrhea, lower respiratory infection, otitis media, bacteremia, bacterial meningitis, botulism, UTI and necrotizing enterocolitis.
   • And a possible protective effect of human feeding against sudden infant death syndrome, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, lymphoma, allergic diseases, and toher chronic digestive diseases.
   • There is also evidence to show that breastfeeding may increase child’s bone mineral density, and that it also protects against such lower respiratory diseases as bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma during middle childhood.
3. Digestibility
   • Babies can digest human milk easily because it contains an enzyme to aid its own digestion.
     • Their poop is also soft and sweet smelling compared to formula-fed babies’ poop. 
   • While it contains less protein than cow’s milk, virtually all the protein in breastmilk is used by the baby.  About half the protein in cow’s milk is wasted, passing through the baby’s body and making extra work for baby’s excretory system.
   • Similarly, iron and zinc are absorbed better by breastfed babies.
   • Premature infants and other babies with sensitive digesstive systems thrive best on breastmilk.
4. Human Milk for Human Babies
   • Always duplicated but never replicated.
5. Less Chance of Allergic Reactions
   • No baby is allergic to breastmilk.
   • Cow’s milk allergy is fairly common, and babies are protected from it s long as they take nothing but brestmilk and their mothers significantly reduce or eliminate cow’s milk products in their own diets.
     • AGREE!
6. Cognitive Development
   • The longer infants are breastfed, the more likely they are to do well in school and on tests of intellectual ability.
   • Researchers believe that this cognitive advantage may result from the presence in breastmilk of certain fatty acids that promote lasting brain development.
7. Tooth and Jaw Development
   • Babies at the breast use more muscles to get food than those drinking from a bottle.  As these muscles are strenously exercised in suckling, their constant activity encourages well-formed jaws and straight, healthy teeth.
   • Since breastfed babies get more of the suckling that they need, they’re less likely to suck their thumbs.  Bottle-fed babbies have to stop sucking on the nipple as soon as the bottle is empty to avoind taking in air; your baby at breast can continue in this blissful pastime until you or she decided she’s been at the well long enough.
8. Availability
   • You don’t have to worry about running short when you’re out with your baby.  As long as mother is near, so is sustenance.
     • Always available 24 hours.  As long as you are together with your baby.  That is why AD is always with me.
9. Emotional Gratification
   • The basic element of breastfeeding is the sense of touch which is the most gratifying aspects of the experience, to both mother and baby.
   • Babies gain a sense of well-being from secure handling.
   • Also, gains a sense of security from the warmth and closeness of the mother’s body.
   • The more there is intimate interaction between the breastfeeding mother and child, the warm skin-to-skin contact, and the more immediate satisfaction of the nursing baby’s hunger would make a healthier psychological development.

Benefits for the MOTHER:

1. Good for your Figure
   • Causes the uterus to shrink more quickly to its prepregnancy size.
   • Breastfeeding uses up so many calories thus, you may be able to lsoe weight while eating more.
     • Need more convincing? I went back to my prepregnancy weight!  Hopefully, I’ll be able to do it again since I’m older now.  I’ll be honest, not all will go back to their prepregnancy weight.  I don’t know why. Maybe they are eating the wrong kinds of food or they’ve breastfed only a few months.
2. Convenience
   • Pick up the baby and just put him on your breast.
     • Super convenient! No more bottles, sterilizer, formula powder, nipple.
3. For your Health
   • postpartum (prevent postbirth hemorrhaging, facilitates expulsion of the placenta and speeds up your uterus to return to its prepregnancy size)
   • respite from menstruation (you have to exclusively breastfeed for six months and possibly longer if your feeding your baby with breastmilk alone.
   • protection from cancer (ovarian and breast cancer)
   • protection from osteoporosis (tend to have increased bone mineral density later in life)
     • YAHOO!
4. Economy
   • Saves money!
     • YAHOO!
5. Aesthetics
   • Breastfed babies smell sweeter.
   • Bowel movements and excess millk spit up after feedings smell mild and inoffensive unlike the strong, nose wrinkling odors emitted by formula-fed baby.
     • I can relate that my babies smell sweeter but can’t really compare.
6. Birth Control
   • Breastfeeding acts as a NATURAL means of spacing children BUT is not a guarantee against pregnancy.
   • Although, you are less likely to conceive while nursing, it is possible that you might become pregnant.
   • FULL lactating women rarely ovulates.
     • CAN RELATE!

Benefits for the SOCIETY:

1. Giving him the natural food intended for him.
2. No more use of cans, bottles of formula, cardboard cartons, baby bottles, nipples.
3. No more wasted energy for transport of milk, heating it, washing all the bottles, nipples etc.

With these information, I rest my case.  That is the ONLY reason why I continue to breastfeed my kids while I still can. 

 Breastmilk is BEST for babies!  Indeed, for all my babies!

Resource: The Complete Book of Breastfeeding, Third Edition by Marvin S. Eiger, MD and Sally Wendkos Olds 

FYI: I bought this book when AD was already more than a year old but I still bought it anyway.  Now, I know why.  This is why.  To share the vital information to you mothers/ fathers and future mothers/ fathers out there! 

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 28th, 2008 at 5:48 pm and is filed under Pregnancy, Nursing, Kids. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.