Feeding Your Newborn

Congratulations!

Being pregnant is a wonderful and an exciting time in your life. From the moment of conception, you are nurturing your baby. Your body is transforming, sometimes overnight, to accommodate your new edition. Hormones are raging and sometimes emotions run high. You are happy one minute and then want to cry the next. You have hopes and fears for your baby’s future. At times you probably feel overwhelmed with all the tasks to do before the baby arrives.

So many decisions have to be considered. You may be planning the baby’s room. What color scheme should you use? What furniture should you buy? What type of bed/crib should you purchase? Or you maybe thinking about what type of birth you want. Who is going to attend the birth? What prenatal classes should you attend? But the decision that all of us moms have to make is how am I going to feed my baby. Breastfeed or formula feed.

Decisions! Decisions!

Breastfeeding is a personal and yet important decision for every mom. So many factors go into this decision.

• What do I want to do?

• Will I make enough milk?

• How will I know if my baby is getting enough?

• Who’s going to help me?

• What do I do when I go to work?

• Can I go back to work?

• What about childcare?

• Do I need a breast pump?

• How are my breasts going to look after I am done breastfeeding?

• What about sex while I am nursing?

• Will I get my body back?

The list goes on. Every mom has to make the best informed decision for her family and herself.

Factors That Influence Our Decision

Yet we as mothers have to consider our social, economic, mental, and physical status.

Socially, do we have a good support system in place? Will our extended and immediate family support our decision? Some moms continue the family tradition of breastfeeding while others are blazing a new trail.

Economics is a huge factor in this decision. Is the mom going to work while breastfeeding? Does she have to return to work for family finances? Can she pump at work? Can she work from home? What about childcare? Will her employer support her decision and be accommodating?

Mentally, we have to support women who will need a break from parenting. We all get exhausted and need what I call “down time.” We cannot constantly give to others and never refill our energy reserves. With so many woman now having anxiety and depression, we as a society must support all women in this journey.

Physically some women have health concerns that may impact their ability to breastfeed or limit their duration of breastfeeding.

Again choosing how to feed your baby is not a quick decision for some moms.

Benefits of Breastfeeding

So what are the benefits of breastfeeding? (this list is not extensive)

Baby:

• Bonding with the mom

• Protects the gut from infections

• Healthier baby by providing antibodies from the mother

• Lower risks of ear infections, respiratory infections, and colds

• Lower risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Syndrome)

• Higher IQ

Mom:

• Bonding with her baby

• Lower risk of breast cancer

• Lower risk of ovarian cancer

• Lower risk of certain auto-immune diseases

• Decrease of osteoporosis

• Lowers risk of heart disease

How long should I breastfeed?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months and then a combination of breastfeeding and complementary foods up to twelve months or longer. WHO (World Health Organization) and UNICEF extend their recommendation to two years or beyond. Other academies and health organizations worldwide recommend similar guidelines.

Can I breastfeed and be successful?

The answer is yes. Yes you can do both. You have to decide on what your goal is and your definition of success. Do you want to breastfeed for 3 months, 6 months, 12 months or longer? Do you want to breastfeed exclusively? If you are considering formula, ask yourself why? Do you have barriers in your life that do not allow you to breastfeed exclusively? Are you fearful that you will not make enough milk? Are you afraid of failing? Have your heard too many horror stories of why others cannot breastfeed? Once you know the answers to these questions, then you can succeed.

We are here to help you on your breastfeeding journey. Feel free to subscribe to our email list or contact us for any questions that you have. We want you to succeed.