Breastfeeding 101

Before you became pregnant I'm sure the thought of breastfeeding never even crossed your mind before. As any young women we are preoccupied with all kinds of other aspects of our lives. So naturally there isn't very much we may know about breastfeeding when we reach motherhood.

For starters, contrary to popular assumptions, breastfeeding does not make your boobs saggy. Unfortunetly pregnancy & gravity are already doing that for us! As young women image is important but breastfeeding won't do any worse damage to your breasts as it is. On the other hand breastfeeding DOES help a new mother burn up to 500 extra calories a day literally sitting around doing nothing more than feeding your baby. It's not a promise of extreme weight loss after giving birth but it certainly does help.

As any mother we only want the best for our babies so why would we choose to feed our babies a dead substance made with the cheapest oils available? Breastmilk has properties in it that we haven't even IDENTIFIED yet!!  Its a live substance made just for YOUR baby, why than would we allow our babies to go without such an amazing food that comes from our own bodies for free??

Insecurity and Fear also play a big part in resisting to breastfeed, trust me more women experience these emotions than you can imagine. That is understandable when we don't have the knowledge, education or support about something yet feel that we should just be able to "do it" That is why I feel its important to reach out, get informed before the baby comes and know you have resources to use when the going gets tough and no one understands you.

Breastfeeding is more than just "feeding your baby" Its a special, intimate time and bond that you would miss out on if you didn't even try.

“Many of life’s failures are experienced by people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” ~Thomas Edison   

Check out the links section of this website & you'll find even more information on the beneficial aspects of breastfeeding.

Research shows breastfeeding decreases the incidence and/or severity of the following illnesses in childhood (and in many cases also into adulthood):

- Ear infections
- Bacterial meningitis
- Respiratory infections and viruses
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
- Asthma
- Allergies (nasal and skin)
- Urinary tract infections
- Gastrointestinal infections
- Diarrhea
- Lymphomas, leukemia and Hodgkin's disease
- Autoimmune thyroid disease
- Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
- Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease
- Necrotizing enterocolitis
- Multiple sclerosis
- Obesity
- Bacteremia
- Celiac disease
- Botulism
- Pneumonia
- Lung disease
- High blood pressure
- Anxiety/stress
- Bed-wetting
- Nearsightedness
- Increased intellectual, developmental, and cognitive aptitude

For the nursing mother, breastfeeding can help protect against the following diseases:

- Breast cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Uterine cancer
- Thyroid cancer
- Type 2 diabetes
- Osteoporosis
- Lupus
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Obesity