Breastfeeding Benefits and Tips

Mothers who choose to breastfeed benefit themselves, as well as their babies. For example, one of the most important benefits a baby receives from breastfeeding is the mother’s antibodies. One of the mother’s benefits is never paying for formula, which can be expensive.

The Additional Health Benefits of Breastfeeding

For the Baby:

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, breastfeeding helps prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and reduces the possibility that the baby will become overweight/obese during childhood, develop leukemia, necrotizing enterocolitis, as well as celiac disease. Furthermore, breastfeeding decreases the likelihood that the baby will develop asthma, diabetes and allergies.

For the Mother:

Breastfeeding helps the mother lose excess weight and assists her uterus with returning to its pre-pregnancy size. When a mother breastfeeds, she decreases her likelihood of experiencing postpartum depression and delays the return of her menstrual cycle. Moreover, her risk of developing breast cancer, cardiovascular diseases, ovarian cancer, hypertension, endometrial cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 diabetes decreases.

Breastfeeding Tips: Preparing for Baby’s Arrival

During the last trimester of pregnancy, a mother who intends to breastfeed needs to begin preparing for her baby’s homecoming. Use the breastfeeding tips below to ease the transition into life as a breastfeeding mother.

4 Breastfeeding Tips—Getting Everything Ready to Bring Your Baby Home

  1. Consider a Breastfeeding Class.

Some mothers find that taking a breastfeeding class helps them prepare for their baby’s arrival.

  1. Have Everything Necessary for Breastfeeding Before Baby Arrives.

Purchase the items that mothers use for breastfeeding ahead of time (e.g., a breastfeeding cover, a nursing bra, soothing nipple covers and a nursing pillow).

  1. A Complimentary Breast Pump?

Check with the hospital and health insurance company to see if they provide new mothers with a free breast pump. If not, purchasing a pump now is a good idea because, in the event that the mother needs to be away from her baby, she can pump and then store her milk.

  1. Prior to the Baby’s Arrival, Consider Making an Appointment with the Pediatrician.

A mother who has questions about her baby and breastfeeding should consult the pediatrician who will be caring for her baby following his or her birth. Addressing concerns before the baby arrives is beneficial because once her baby is born, she will need time to recover and adjust to motherhood. Therefore, anything an expectant mother can take care of ahead of time is highly beneficial.

7 of the most common questions expectant mothers ask pediatricians include:

  1. When should my baby be back up to his or her birth weight?
  2. Which growth chart does the office use?
  3. Do you think it is okay for a mother to use a nipple shield to help the baby latch on?
  4. How often will my baby need to breastfeed?
  5. What if I have poor milk production and have to add a supplement? Which formula do you recommend?
  6. Would you recommend that I wake the baby so he or she can nurse during the night?
  7. Should I limit the length of time my baby breastfeeds?

Besides all the other benefits of breastfeeding, it helps mother and baby build a strong bond. Contact Parker Pediatrics today to learn more.

Thrush

This article is an excerpt from "The Nursing Mother's Problem Solver" by Claire Martin.

Thrush appears as white blisters, as red dots, or as a peeling rash. It is painful for both mother and baby. Yeast is a kind of fungus. Thrush is an overgrowth of yeast. It survives by consuming sugars digested from other sources. Mother and baby must be treated simultaneously. It is extremely contagious; if one of you has thrush, the other almost certainly has it too, or will soon.

Pediatricians or OB/GYNs typically suggest topical ointments, including clotrimazole (in 1 percent or 2 percent concentrations) and Nystatin, which often are used together in treatment. Clotrimazole will work on thrush. If you find the 1 percent cream too slow or ineffective, try the 2 percent miconazole cream. Wash off Clotrimazole before you nurse (use water, not soap), and reapply afterward.

This prevents the thrush yeast from reproducing; it must be applied to all affected areas four times a day, and you can't nurse for 10 minutes after you use Nystatin. Because it contains sugar, Nystatin can leave your nipples sticky: It never really dries. (If you thought your nipples were sore before, try peeling Nystatin- covered nipples from a nursing bra or nursing pads.)

If you put a little Lotrimin on your nipples, they won't stick to your bra. It's absorbed pretty quickly and thoroughly into the skin. You don't need to wash it off unless your baby wants to nurse the instant you've applied it.

An alternative treatment for thrush is gentian violet. You paint it on your nipples, inside the baby's mouth, on the baby's genitals, and on any other area affected by the thrush. Gentian violet works fast, and it's nearly foolproof, often better at resolving thrush than commercial medications. However, gentian violet has one drawback: Anything it touches will be permanently stained purple. And it takes several days for the gentian violet to work its way through a baby's system or wear off your skin. Plan on wearing dark clothing, using dark towels, and sleeping on dark sheets. On the upside: gentian violet resolves thrush within 2 or 3 days, and you'll have lots of opportunities to teach your baby about the color purple.

Another option for your baby is a relatively new drug called Diflucan, an oral medication that is mixed with water and given to the baby twice a day for 2 weeks. It's a lot easier than swabbing the baby's mouth, and you see results in 48 hours. A pill form of the same medication is an option for adults. One caution about Diflucan: It can damage your liver. Don't take it lightly.

Until the thrush is gone, it's extremely important to sterilize everything that touches the baby's mouth or your nipples. That means boiling all bottle nipples, pacifiers, breast pump parts, and toys. Wash all clothing-yours and the baby's-in hot water. Thrush, as you've learned, is highly contagious.

Don't despair: Thrush can be treated, and you can prevent its return by monitoring your diet and making sure you use breathable, not moisture-proof, nursing pads in your bra. The initial pain should subside within 72 hours.


www.amazon.com

About the Author

Claire Martin is a parenting writer at the Denver Post. Her writing has won national and regional awards, and has appeared in publications such as the St. Petersburg Times, Good Housekeeping, and Sunset magazine. She lives in Denver with her husband and two daughters, both of whom were breastfed.

From THE NURSING MOTHER'S PROBLEM SOLVER by Claire Martin. Copyright © 2000 by Claire Martin. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc.