Breastfeeding Week 2023: “Let’s make breastfeeding and work, work!”

 

Dear Mama,

we would like to take this opportunity yet again to wish you Happy Breastfeeding Week and give you thumbs up for the selfless work you’re doing; sleepless nights nursing, hair loss, fatigue, dizziness and all that comes with breastfeeding. It can only take selflessness to venture on this kind of journey. Most times what you’re doing often gets unnoticed or uncelebrated but here is a reminder that you are the real stars and breastfeeding is a culture that can never be outdated. Like they say, “not all superheroes wear capes” and you are definitely one of them.

Every man out there should also take out time to please celebrate the women in their lives who ensure their babies are breastfed and if you’re a mum in the valley of decision as to whether you should breastfeed or not, we’re rooting for you. Breastfeeding is not just about feeding your baby, there is so much more to it and the interesting part is that it has immerse benefits not just to your baby but you and your body as well. In the light of this, we bring you the Part 2 our post in this week where we would be discussing further on the benefits of breastfeeding to your baby and to you as a nursing mother.

Doctors and medical research advice that you breastfeed your baby exclusively for about 6 months (without any other additions, just breast milk) and up to a year or more after complementary have commenced. Frequency and quantity consumed all depend on how your baby desires to be fed, either small frequent meals or long feedings.

Benefits to the mother

1. An effective fat burner: Breastfeeding helps in burning all the fat gained throughout your pregnancy journey and the demands that came with it.
2. Helps the return of the uterus to its normal size: Breastfeeding causes the release of a particular hormone called oxytocin that aids the uterus return back to its pre-pregnancy size and also the reduction of uterine bleeding post-delivery.
3. Helps reduce the risk of certain conditions: Breastfeeding aids in lowering a mother’s chances of getting some conditions like ovarian cancer, breast cancer and osteoporosis, which is the degeneration of bone mass/tissue making them weak and fragile.
4. Cost effective: With the way the global economy is these days, every chance to save money needs to be explored and breastfeeding helps with this; you save both time and money as its readily available.
5. Assists in relaxation: Breastfeeding is such a great opportunity to gain free time to relax and also adequately bond with your baby.

 

 

Benefits to the baby

1. Contains all the essential nutrients for growth: Breast milk has a mix of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats and all essential elements needed for your baby’s development in the right proportions, making it the ideal nutrition your baby needs.
2. Easy to digest:  breast milk comes in the form that can be easily tolerated by your baby’s stomach without causing any upsets or complications.
3. Soldiers on alert: between birth and 6 months, no defenses are protecting your little one as their immunity hasn’t fully developed, so breast milk helps in providing immunity for your baby to fight off illness.
4. Helps reduce the risk of certain conditions: breast milk decreases your baby’s chances of getting certain illnesses like asthma allergies, ear infections and respiratory infections which are common within that age bracket.
5. Promotes bonding: it helps your baby bond and feels safe through eye-contact, skin-to-skin touching and physical closeness that occur during breastfeeding.
6. Appropriate weight gain: babies who are breastfed have better chances of gaining the right amount of weight eliminating the risk of obesity and malnutrition.
7. Improved intelligence: some studies have proven that children who have been breastfed have great chances of thriving and excelling in the classroom as it increases the IQ.

 

As natural as breastfeeding maybe it can be difficult and a bit frustrating from the onset, but with practice and access to the right information like the one we always bring hot-hot to your tables, you’d be on your way to gaining control. Also, there are numerous reasons why some women opt not to breast feed ranging from illness to busy schedule and many more and they can’t be blamed because breastfeeding is indeed a full-time job. But based on research it has numerous it has numerous benefits and we hope with these few points of ours, we’ve been able to convince you on why it’s important and encourage you to give your dedicated support to women who do so.

Join in creating this awareness and share with as many you know it would benefit. For further information, please stay on tabs with our blog on the next series on breastfeeding.

Written By:
Rebecca Adeleke-Adesanmi,
BSc. Nur., MA, Healthcare Mgt

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