The Benefits Of Breast-Feeding

The Benefits Of Breast-Feeding

Breast-feeding has been said to be the best form of feeding babies in the first six months of life. Aside from intimacy between mother and child that breast-feeding promotes, breast milk is said to contain nutrients that aid child development. Breast-fed babies have been found to have higher Intelligence Quotient (IQ) than those who were not fed with breast milk. In addition, breast milk contains antibodies that help babies fight infections. 

A report published online by Journal Pediatrics says breast milk can also affect insulin levels in the blood, which may make breast-fed babies less likely to develop diabetes and obesity. The report states that breast-feeding may help prevent hundreds of deaths and many more costly illnesses each year from health problems such as stomach viruses, ear infections, asthma, juvenile diabetes, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and even childhood leukemia. 

Wow! These are benefits that shouldn’t be overlooked by any good mother. Though breast-feeding is often difficult for working mothers, those who can undertake it are encouraged to do so, in view of the enormity of the benefits highlighted above. The breast milk can be pumped or expressed into a feeding bottle and stored in the fridge to be warmed for the baby while the mother is at work, but that seems only practicable for mothers who have nannies or relatives at home to take care of their babies. Day Care Centres are not likely to accept such arrangements to avoid mixing up children’s feeding bottles. Moreover, the milk can only survive for some hours in the feeding bottle, and one has to be sure that the baby would not be fed with it after it has become stale. So, this method requires dedicated nannies or baby-sitters to ensure that babies are fed with the breast milk in feeding bottles only few hours after the mothers leave for work.

Some women avoid breast-feeding because of the sagging effect on the breasts, as well as other inconveniences like the nipples becoming sore and painful, or the frequency of sucking by the child (especially male children) which requires frequent eating by the mother.

But if one considers the short and long-term benefits outlined above, no sacrifice is too much for a (good) mother to make to ensure the general wellbeing of her child. It is part of our responsibilities as mothers to raise healthy children, and those who deny their children this benefit of good health in the name of looking shapely or for any other avoidable reason will have the deadly consequences to contend with. The reality that mothers should brace up to is that whether they breast-feed their babies properly or not, those breasts will still sag in the long run. So, why postponing the evil day when you can face it now for the wellbeing of your baby?

Besides, the breasts don’t have to look saggy on you, as there are bras that hold them firmly even after menopause. They are more expensive than the common bras, but they are still affordable. So women, let us take advantage of that and give our babies the best nutrition they need to grow healthy. 

We should also endeavour to eat balanced diet while breast-feeding, for I believe that the quality of food a woman eats determines the quality of the breast milk that she produces. If all a woman eats are carbohydrate foods, I don’t see how her breast milk can be rich in protein and other vitamins and minerals that are necessary for her baby’s growth and wellbeing. And if those essential vitamins and minerals are deficient in the body, they cause serious medical conditions that would warrant frequenting hospitals and swallowing drugs which could have serious side effects, especially if the root causes are not immediately identified. 

So, as far as I am concerned, it is not just enough to breast-feed babies. Nursing mothers must also be sure to eat foods rich in protein, vitamins and minerals to pass them on to their babies through their breast milk. That is when the purpose of breast-feeding will be fully achieved and the exercise can be said to be worthwhile. 

By Nike Oluwole