Breastfeeding the easy way

There are many proven benefits of nursing your baby:

• Colostrum (the rich pre-milk fluid of the first few days) is a priceless gift to your newborn. No vaccination will come near to the immunity this tonic provides for babies, and its protection lasts for months.
• Continued breastfeeding backs this stronger immunity up, and your child enjoys on-going protection against disease like asthma, eczema, ear infections, diarrhoea and many others, due to the anti-bodies it contains. The longer you nurse your child, the greater the overall health benefit will be, although every drop counts.
• Eating disorders that can contribute to heart disease later in life are less likely.
• Dental bills will probably be less, including orthodontic treatment later on, due to better jaw development.
• Controversial as it might be, research has also demonstrated that breastfed babies on average have advantages in the mental development arena.
• Nursing is also very special 'feel good' experience. This has a physical basis as the ‘love hormone’, oxytocin, is produced in abundance when breastfeeding. The feeling of an adoring baby sucking fills most moms with a glow difficult to describe and you can see your baby experiences it too.
• There are huge economic benefits, both from the cost of formula and medical bills points of view.
• Food is always on tap, at the correct temperature and hygienically packaged, as it were!
• Breastmilk is perfectly balanced and easily digestible too and adapts according to baby’s individual needs – for instance, when learning to crawl, there will be more carbohydrates for energy and more proteins when there is a growth spurt.
• Digestive problems like constipation and colic are negligible.
• Nursing becomes progressively easier and less time-consuming.
• Breast babies settles easier at night than bottle babies - few sucks and baby is settled again.
• Nursing one’s baby is a wonderful form of communication, as you gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes, bonding deeply and intimately with your own precious little bundle of joy.

Basic guidelines

• Have a varied diet of moderation in most things.
• If baby never seems satisfied, have a healthy drink at every breastfeed. Eat smaller meals more often to keep up your energy levels and milk-making ability.
• If a food or beverage causes symptoms of discomfort in you, it may well do so for your baby too.
• Calcium is important while breastfeeding and can be obtained from quality dairy sources in those not sensitive to its effects, and also from nuts, potatoes and in abundance in many veggies and fruit. Take the tissue salt remedies Calc fluor and Calc phos to improve calcium assimilation from food.
• If baby fusses at the breast, he or she may be reacting to your bland diet of dairy and bread. Eat more like you did while pregnant as that is the environment your baby grew in and thrived on, even it is was fairly spicy.
• Stimulants like caffeine can make baby wakeful and restless, eventually leading to over-tiredness, crying and colic.
• Alcohol is preferably avoided while breastfeeding as it can trigger acid rashes and the effects do go through your milk to baby.
• Food is always on tap, at the correct temperature and hygienically packaged, as it were!

To prevent cramps and hiccups

• Increase magnesium rich foods like bananas, green vegetables and nuts.
• Reduce typically gas producing foods like beans, cabbage and onions as these are likely to lead to painful bloating.
• If your iron supplement causes cramps and constipation, rather increase dietary iron (green veggies, free range eggs, nuts, raisins, legumes and avocado, to name a few) or change to a ‘food state’ iron supplement.

Breastmilk and allergies

• Skin rashes in baby are also often due to excessive dairy and grain intake, but may also occur if you have a very acidic diet, especially red meat, pickles and alcohol.

Tips for successful breastfeeding

• Choose a supportive team of doctor, midwife and birthing venue during your pregnancy already. If everyone conspires to make it a success, nursing a baby can hardly fail.
• Recognise the importance of your nursing task and do not try and be Superwoman. You will feel tired initially and if you take each hour of each day as it comes, resting as much as possible and accepting assistance with household tasks, the tiredness will soon be replaced with a sense of relaxation.
• Feed your baby as they need, and not according to the clock or a schedule.
• A non-scheduled approach also requires you to not limit baby’s drinking time at the breast, right from day one.
• After a little nap or nappy-change, and if baby is not quite settled, offer the other breast and do not interrupt until baby once again has had enough. A third ‘course’, just to round off the meal, might be necessary after another short break.
• It is vital that you keep up your fluid intake when breastfeeding – you’ll soon notice that it is a very thirsty business, but in the early days one often forgets to attend to one’s own needs.
• Between feeds, obey the signals of your body and drink when you are thirsty. This will probably amount to about 2 litres a day – more is not necessary.
• You can rest and even sleep more than you ever dreamed possible while breastfeeding a small baby. Once you are familiar with latching baby, try lying down to feed. Baby drops off to sleep while feeding and so can you!