Breastfeeding

I knew I always wanted to breast feed my babies even before I tried getting pregnant for a few reasons; (1) It is way cheaper than formula, you save an average $720 dollars (2) It creates a special bond between mama a baby (3) It helps shrink your uterus and slows the bleeding from delivery (4) Your menstrual cycle will take longer to come back, and who wouldn't want that, and (5) It is incredibly healthy for both mama and baby.  I found a awesome timeline of a breastfed baby at http://www.thealphaparent.com/2011/12/timeline-of-breastfed-baby.html?fb_action_ids=4720369129739&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=246965925417366  and want to share some of the highlighted points.

- The very first feed helps to stabilize baby's blood sugars and protect baby's gut.

- The first few days you will produce colostrum, which is thick and sticky and your baby will only need about 3-4 teaspoons daily.  This is high in protein, fat-soluble vitamins, and minerals, as well as antibodies that protect your baby from bacterial and viral illnesses.

- A hormone oxytocin is release into the mothers body when she nurses which causes the uterus to shrink and regain its tone after birth protecting the mother from excessive bleeding as she recovers.

- By day 4 of breastfeeding you have giving your baby their first and easiest "immunisation" (antibody rich colostrum) and helped to get their digestive system running smoothly.

-By exclusively breastfeeding for at least 1 month you have given your baby significant protection against food allergy's at 3 years of age, and also against respiratory allergy at 17 years of age.

-By breastfeeding for 6 weeks means that your child now has less risk of chest infections up to 7 years old.

- Newborns who are not breastfed are much more likely to get sick or be hospitalized, and have many more digestive problems than breastfed babies.

- Breastfeeding enhances your baby's antibody response, strengthening the effectiveness of the vaccine.  Nursing during the vaccination process also offers your baby a unique level of pain relief.

- By breastfeeding exclusively for 2 months, your child now has a lower risk of food allergy at 3 years of age.

- During the three to six month period your body hits a fat-burning period and helps to use up the fat stores you laid down in pregnancy.  Breastfeeding also burns an extra 500 calories a day.

- By breastfeeding for 3 months you have given your baby a 27 percent reduction in the risk of asthma if you have no family history and a 40 percent reduction if you do have a family history.

- At three months you have also given your baby between a 19 and 27 percent reduction in incidence of childhood Type 1 Diabetes.

- By breastfeeding for 4 months you have given your baby a strong protection against ear infections and respiratory tract diseases for a whole year, and you have reduced your baby's risk of cot death.

- Also by breastfeeding for 4 months you have given your child a lower risk of developing eczema and asthma.

- After the first 6 months, breastfed babies tend to be leaner than formula-fed baby's.

- By breastfeeding for 6 months you have given your baby significant protection against eczema during their first 3 years, and a 19 percent decrease in the risk of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia and a 15 percent decrease in the risk of acute myelogenous leukemia.

- Baby's breastfed for 7-9 months have a higher intelligence than those breastfed for less than seven months.

- Breastfed babies are commonly more alert and more active than babies who received formula.

- By breastfeeding for 1 year you will have given you child many health benefits that will has their whole life.  They will have a stronger immune system and will be much less likely to need orthodontia or speech therapy. 

- Children breastfed for at least 1 year are more likely to display better social adjustment when they begin school.  They also have a lower risk of becoming overweight later in life and have lower risk factors for heart disease as an adult.

- Breastfed toddlers between 16 and 30 months old have been found to have fewer types and shorter duration of illness and to require less medical care than their non-breastfed peers.

As long as you breastfed you will provide your child with essential proteins, nutrients, antibodies and other protective substances.  Human biology is geared to a weaning age of between 2 1/2 to 7 years, because it takes that long for a child's immune system to fully mature.

My breastfeeding experience started off a bit ruff, even though I took 3 different breastfeeding classes.  When Hailee was born at 36 week she was not strong enough to latch and move much, I tried for two days before the doctor had me start expressing to feed her with a syringe because she had lost 12 percent of her body weight already.  I was sad but determined not to give up.  The doctors would not release us from the hospital with her eating out of a syringe so we gave her a bottle if breast milk because we were ready to go home after being their for six days and sleeping on a fold out chair in pediatrics.  After she had the bottle she wanted nothing to do with even trying to breastfeed, I was heartbroken but not ready to give up.  Once we got home I kept trying and after a couple days I could get her to nurse if I was laying on my side in our bed.  At about 2 weeks old she was exclusively breastfeeding and we no longer needed the bottle.  I feel that the first month is really hard, and you will be exhausted, especially at night, but if you make it through the first month you should be good to go.  It is way easier than having to scrub out bottles and warm them up.