The 5 Most Important Reasons to Breastfeed

The 5 Most Important Reasons to Breastfeed

August 25th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Breastfeeding can be challenging. While it’s a natural process, that doesn’t make it an easy one. Many new moms struggle with getting the hang of it, and it can be frustrating and disappointing. Although a rough start to breastfeeding can lead many moms to throw in the towel, remember that there are very good reasons to push forward. You are making an excellent choice for your baby as well as for yourself. Check out this list if you need a reminder of why it’s worth every minute of the struggle.

1. Building Baby’s Immune System

Formula can’t give your baby the antibodies needed to stay healthy in the first few months of life. Until around 3 months old, your baby’s body isn’t yet capable of producing its own antibodies, so breast milk is the only source. Even beyond the first months, the incredible combination of nutrients found only in breast milk will continue to strengthen your baby’s immune system. This means fewer colds, infections and other illnesses to make your baby (and you) miserable. It also means that those illnesses your baby does contract will likely be over faster and less severe, as your baby’s body is better able to fight it off.

2. Protecting Baby’s Future Health

Breastfeeding has been connected with a lower risk of a number of conditions later in life. Breastfed babies are less likely to obese, and less likely to be diagnosed with diabetes. They have a lower incidence of asthma, allergies and other respiratory issues. Breast milk has also been connected with a lower risk of childhood leukemia.

3. Providing Your Baby with the Perfect Nutrition

Breast milk is not just the perfect baby food; it’s the perfect food for your baby. Every woman produces breast milk that is designed specifically for her own baby’s needs. The balance of nutrition and composition changes over time, meeting the ever-changing needs of your baby’s growing body. This is something formula just isn’t capable of doing. While formula is one size fits all, breast milk is tailored perfectly for the baby it is being made to feed.

4. Protecting Your Health

The newest research indicates that breastfeeding isn’t only beneficial to the baby. Mothers who breastfeed have a lower chance of both breast and ovarian cancer. It also encourages postpartum weight loss, and research shows that not only do breastfeeding mothers lose more weight; they also keep it off better than non-breastfeeding mothers. Despite previous concerns about calcium being leached from the bones of breastfeeding mothers, the newest evidence suggests that breastfeeding actually strengthens bones and results in a lower chance of osteoporosis later in life.

5. Keeping Your Budget in Check

Have you looked at the price of formula recently? It’s expensive, and it adds up fast. Not only does breast milk save you a lot of money on formula, but also on bottles, nipples, washing and sterilizing equipment and probably on laundry too – formula spit up tends to stain while breast milk spit up doesn’t.

Whenever you feel like breastfeeding is just too hard, remember all of these important reasons to carry on. You are doing something incredible for your baby and for yourself, and you will see the benefits for many years to come. Although there may be hurdles to overcome as you settle in to breastfeeding, they will soon be a thing of the past. These benefits however, will last a lifetime.

Supporting Baby’s Immune Health

Supporting Baby’s Immune Health

May 4th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

We all know that the immune system exists to protect our bodies from harmful invaders, and that it is vital to keeping us healthy. The complex immune system is a powerful force for identifying and eliminating dangerous foreign matter that enters the body. A baby’s immune system, however, is not yet developed enough to successfully defend that tiny body – it needs a little help. Do you know how to best support your baby’s immune system so that it can do its job keeping your little one healthy? Answer these three basic questions to find out!

What is the Number One Way to Boost a Newborn’s Immune System?

When it comes to strengthening your newborn’s fledgling immune system, the absolute best thing you can do is to choose to breastfeed. Breast milk, especially the early, darker colored milk called colostrum, is packed with antibodies that your baby can’t get anywhere else. These antibodies are the building blocks of immunity. They give your newborn a fighting chance against the bacteria and viruses that are new to his body. Your baby received antibodies through the placenta during your pregnancy, but from the moment of birth that protection begins to wane. The only way to continue to protect him is to keep the supply of antibodies up through breast milk.

While formulas have come a long way over the years, they simply can not provide these antibodies to your baby, so if you can, breastfeed for as long as possible. When you stop breastfeeding, the same effect will occur as when you gave birth – the antibodies will become less and less effective. The longer you breastfeed, the more time you allow for your baby to grow bigger and stronger, and for his immune system to make its own antibodies.

What Does a Fever Mean?

Fever is a sign that your baby’s immune system has kicked into gear to fight off an invading force. In the first few months of life, a fever in your baby is your first clue that something is not right. While older children and adults will come through most fevers just fine, a newborn doesn’t have the strength to fight off whatever the fever is signaling. Any fever in a newborn warrants a call to your doctor’s office. Antibiotics might be necessary to help her immune system fight off the illness causing the fever.

Recognize the signs that your baby is getting sick, such as fever and others – lethargy, changes in appetite and sleep habits – and help your baby’s immune system fight off the illness by stepping in quickly.

Is Exposing Baby to Germs Good or Bad?

It might sound like a silly question, but it’s a good one. Exposure to germs is what triggers the immune system to respond, and create antibodies that will fight off illness. However, a baby’s body isn’t strong enough to fight off many of the germs he might encounter. So what is the right answer? Avoid exposure to germs as much as possible for the first few months of life, when baby is still very small and vulnerable. During those early months, a simple illness can quickly become very serious, so be very careful.

As she grows and becomes stronger, you can be a little less militant on the germ patrol. This doesn’t mean exposing her to people you know are sick so she can build antibodies! Just that you can take her to more places and let her body start to build its defenses against what it encounters.

With the answers to all three of these questions, you arm yourself with the knowledge to boost your baby’s immune system so that eventually her body will be able to defend itself.

A Healthy Immune System for Baby

A Healthy Immune System for Baby

April 29th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

A healthy immune system is vital to helping your baby’s body to fight off infections and avoid illness. To keep her immune system working at peak performance, baby needs a little help from you.

In the womb, antibodies are passed to baby from her mother via the placenta. But after birth, their power will start to wane, and unless they are replace baby will be vulnerable to illness. A baby won’t start to produce her own antibodies until she is a few months old. In the meantime, there is a way to help her out.

Breastfeeding and Immunity

Breast milk is the only way to get vital antibodies to your baby in the first months of life. The AAP recommends that new mothers breastfeed for at least the first four months, but preferably exclusively for the first six months. This isn’t just because breast milk contains antibodies. It also gives your baby the optimum nutritional content she needs to be healthy. A body that is receiving all the nutrients it needs is a body that supports immune health.

Baby’s Diet and Immune Health

When your baby starts on solid baby foods, make sure to offer her a wide variety of healthy foods, especially fruits and vegetables. The nutrients in these foods will help to support her immune system and keep her healthy. Look for foods high in vitamins C and E, which are known to have immunity-strengthening properties. These foods include choices like applesauce, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli and more. Also, be sure to include foods high in zinc, which also supports immune health. This important mineral appears in proteins such as chicken and eggs.

Probiotics have recently been recognized as playing a major role in immune health. They are the good bacteria that our bodies need in order to fight off any number of illnesses. Probiotics can be found in foods like yogurt, but use caution. Many commercial yogurts have been flash heated to maintain shelf life – which kills many of the good bacteria. Look for an all natural yogurt that has not been heated. You can also use probiotic supplements; talk to your baby’s doctor about how to implement them into baby food diet.

The Importance of Sleep

It might not be the first thing to come to mind when you think of a healthy immune system, but making sure that your baby gets the sleep he needs is actually vital to supporting a healthy immune system. In the same way that adults can get run down and become vulnerable to infection when we aren’t getting enough sleep, babies need sleep to stay healthy – and they require a lot more sleep than we do.

During sleep, the body repairs and rejuvenates itself, making it better able to fight off illness. A newborn requires upwards of 16 hours of sleep, and in the first year of life that need won’t go down much. Make sure baby gets enough rest by sticking to a bedtime routine and a nap schedule as much as you can. If baby seems to be sleeping more than usual, he might be fighting something off. Let him get his rest, and watch for further signs of illness. Sometimes all the body needs is a little extra down time to let the immune system kick in and do its job.

A healthy immune system means a healthy baby, so do everything you can to support it from the day he is born. If you pay attention to his body’s needs, your baby’s immune system will stay strong and keep him strong too.

Keeping your Baby Healthy

Keeping your Baby Healthy

March 7th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Few things concern new parents more than the health of their baby. Although babies are delicate and have much weaker immune systems than adults, there are a few simple things you can do as a parent to ensure your baby stays healthy.

Baby’s Immune System

Newborns enter the world with no immunity to any of the many viruses and bacteria we come into contact with every day. They must build immunity over time, and the number one thing that you can do to help baby’s immune system grow stronger is to breastfeed. Breast milk, especially the early colostrum, contains antibodies your baby can’t get anywhere else. These will strengthen her immune system and give her an edge in fighting off common childhood illnesses.

Although there has been much controversy surrounding vaccinations in the past several years, the truth is that getting your baby immunized is a vital step in keeping her protected from potentially fatal illnesses. The reason so many childhood illnesses are practically non-existent in the US today is the strong push for vaccinations. If you are interested in an alternate vaccination schedule or have concerns about vaccines, talk to your baby’s doctor.

Well-baby Check Ups

Seeing your baby’s pediatrician regularly is vital to keeping your baby healthy. Well-baby check ups are scheduled at gradually widening intervals throughout your baby’s first two years, and yearly thereafter. These visits allow your baby’s doctor to monitor his health, and catch any signs of a problem early, before it can become serious. Well-baby visits are also the time when immunizations are usually scheduled.

You should also use these check ups as an opportunity to discuss any concerns you may have regarding your baby’s health. Remember that you are the first line of defense for your baby; because you spend more time with him than your doctor does, you are more likely to notice a problem. Don’t hesitate to bring it up, even if you aren’t sure it’s worth mentioning. Anything that concerns you should be taken seriously by your baby’s doctor.

Protecting Baby’s Health

A simple precaution you can take to avoid exposing your baby to harmful germs is to make sure you wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer before you touch her. Make sure that anyone else who wishes to touch her does the same. Don’t be afraid to stand up to strangers in public who want to touch your baby! It is your job to protect her while her immune system is not yet up to the task.

Make sure to ask friends and family to avoid visiting when they are sick. A cold that might be a minor inconvenience to an adult can hospitalize a newborn, so take this seriously. Your doctor may recommend avoiding busy public places with your newborn for the first few months, especially if your baby is born during cold and flu season. This doesn’t mean you are house-bound! Just try to keep your outings to less crowded places, and again, be cautious of strangers who want to check out your precious little one. Remind them it’s ok to look, but please don’t touch.

In spite of your best efforts, it’s likely that your baby will come down with several colds in the first year of life. However, if you have done your best to bolster his immune system and keep him healthy, hopefully they will be short-lived and infrequent.

A healthy baby is a happy baby, and that makes for happy parents too!