What is the best for your baby is good for your health
Breastfeeding is being the best nutrition for your baby is also so good for your health. Being a woman if you don't have health problems you should definitely try to give your baby breast milk for six months to two years of his or her life.
Experts say that breast milk is perfectly suited to nourish infants and protect them from illness. Breast-fed infants have lower rates of admitting in hospitals, ear infections, diarrhea, rashes, allergies, and other medical problems than bottle-fed babies. It has been noticed that the death rates in Third World countries are lower among breast-fed babies and they are healthier and have fewer infections than formula-fed babies.
According to a study, there are 4,000 species of mammals, and each of them makes different milk. But human being is the only mammal who makes milk for human infants and it meets all their specific nutrient needs.
For you, breast feeding not only helps your uterus contract back to normal size after having been stretched during pregnancy, it also delays the return of your periods. Feeding breast milk is even cheaper than using formula or cereal. It's so clean and simple that you don't have to wash bottles or mix formula every now and then. It helps make time for you to be close to your baby. And above all, you are at the least risk of having certain types of cancer including breast cancer.
How often you should feed your baby?
You may feed your baby as often as he or she wants to be fed. Normally, it may be 8 to 12 times a day or more. How often your baby wants to feed may change over time as he or she goes through growth spurts. Growth spurts possibly occur from 2 to 6 weeks of age and again form 3 to 6 months of age.
Let your baby nurse until he or she is satisfied. This may be for about 15 to 20 minutes at each breast. Try to have your baby nurse from both breasts at each feeding. You need to notice whether your baby has gained weight constantly after the first 3 to 7 days after birth. The baby may lose a little weight during the first week after being born.
How you can increase your milk supply?
If you think your baby needs more milk, increase the frequency of feedings a day. Don't start giving your baby formula or cereal until he or she is 4 to 6 months old, though the only acceptable alternative to breast milk is infant formula. Once your baby starts feeding formula or cereal, he or she may not want as much breast milk. This will naturally decrease your milk supply.
What you should eat and what you should not?
You should eat well-balanced diet having a plenty of calcium. For that you need to eat fruits and vegetables, whole-grain cereals and breads, meats or beans, and milk and dairy foods like cheese.
A balanced diet that includes 5 servings of milk or dairy products each day will give you enough calcium. If you don't eat meat or dairy products, you can get the calcium you need from broccoli, sesame seeds, tofu and kale. You'll need to get about 500 more calories per day than usual and you'll need to drink more fluids. Talk to your doctor about taking extra calcium if you don't think you're getting enough from your diet.
If you think that any food you're eating is bothering your baby, quit eating it. Caffeine and alcohol can get into your milk, so try to limit your drink. Drugs can also get into your milk so don't take any kind of drugs without talking to your doctor. Also, if you smoke, nursing is another good reason to try to quit. And if you smoke then it can because you to make less milk and the chemicals in cigarettes and smoke can get into your milk. Nursing is quite a good reason to try to quit smoking altogether.
The decision to use a pacifier - or not - is up to you. Let go of any guilt or pressure as you learn what works best for your baby.
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