Breast feeding offers many benefits to your baby. Breast milk contains the right balance of nutrients to help your infant grow into a strong and healthy toddler. Some of the nutrients in breast milk also help protect your infant against some common childhood illnesses and infections. It may also help your health. Certain types of cancer may occur less often in mothers who have breastfed their babies.
Women who don't have health problems should try to give their babies breast milk for at least the first six months of life. There are some cases when it's better not to breast feed. If you have HIV or active tuberculosis, you should not breast feed because you could give the infection to your baby. Certain medicines, illegal drugs, and alcohol can also pass through the breast milk and cause harm to your baby.
2. 1
Overview
Breast feeding offers many benefits to your baby.
Breast milk contains the right balance of nutrients
to help your infant grow into a strong and healthy
toddler. Some of the nutrients in breast milk also
help protect your infant against some common
childhood illnesses and infections. It may also help
your health. Certain types of cancer may occur less
often in mothers who have breastfed their babies.
3. 2
Overview
Women who don't have health problems should
try to give their babies breast milk for at least the
first six months of life. There are some cases when
it's better not to breast feed. If you have HIV or
active tuberculosis, you should not breast feed
because you could give the infection to your baby.
Certain medicines, illegal drugs, and alcohol can
also pass through the breast milk and cause harm
to your baby.
5. 4
Breastfeeding Problems
-- Your baby’s nursing sessions are either very
short (less than 10 minutes) or very long (longer
than 45 minutes). Breastfeeding sessions that are
consistently brief during the first few months may
mean that your baby isn’t getting enough milk and
that not enough milk is being removed to stimulate
your ongoing milk production. Sessions that last
long may mean that your baby isn’t receiving
enough milk due to ineffective suckling or low milk
production.
6. 5
Breastfeeding Problems
-- If your baby still seems hungry after most
feedings, she/he may not be ingesting enough
milk. Talk to your pediatrician, have her weighed
and double-check her latch-on and position at the
breast to try to increase the milk she is getting.
7. 6
Breastfeeding Problems
-- Your newborn frequently misses nursing sessions
or sleeps through the night. Your baby requires a
feeding every 3-4 hours to gain sufficient
weight, so if the newborn sleeps longer than four
hours a night, wake her up and encourage her to
nurse.
8. 7
Breastfeeding Problems
-- Inadequate weight gain is one of the strongest
warning signs that a baby is not getting enough
milk, so if your baby isn't gaining 5-7 ounces per
week you should see a doctor.
-- If after seven days, your baby has fewer than
6wet diapers and 4 stools per day, her urine is dark
yellow or specked with red, or her stools are still
dark rather than yellow and loose, you should
bring her to the doctor.
9. 8
Breastfeeding Problems
-- Pay attention to the amount of milk that is
produced in your breasts, the amount that is
extracted during a typical feeding, and the weight
of your newborn. If you have breast engorgement
or severe pain associated with breastfeeding, see a
doctor to assess the severity of the problem.
10. 9
Resources
-- A Mother's Eating and Drinking Habits: FAQs
-- Breastfeeding Hints For Easy Beginnings
-- Coping: Breastfeeding in Public
-- Common Breastfeeding Challenges
