Health
RESEARCH in American Academy of Pediatrics, AAP and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, ACOG strongly recommend breastfeeding exclusively ‘no formula, juice, or water’ for 6 months. It says that breast milk provides the ideal nutrition for infants.
It has a nearly perfect mix of vitamins, protein, fat and everything your baby needs to grow and it’s provided in a form more easily digested than infant formula.
Breast milk contains antibodies that help your baby fight off viruses and bacteria, which also lowers your baby’s risk of having asthma or allergies. Babies, who are breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months, without any formula, have fewer ear infections, respiratory illnesses and bouts of diarrhea.
Breastfeeding as important as it is, has been linked to higher IQ scores in later childhood in some studies. What’s more, the physical closeness, skin-to-skin touching, and eye contact all help the baby bond with the mother and feel secure.
Breastfed infants are more likely to gain the right amount of weight as they grow rather than become overweight children. The AAP also stated that breastfeeding helps in prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, SIDS. It’s been thought to lower the risk of diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers as well, but more research is needed.
Kizito Obikwe, Consultant Pediatrician in an interview said that nursing mothers should disregard the erroneous belief that breastfeeding causes breasts to sag, saying breastfeeding is the foundation of life. “This is not medically true as it has not been scientifically proven. Therefore, nursing mothers should engage in exclusive breastfeeding for the well-being of their children,” he said.
According to Obikwe, consistent wearing of well-fitted brazier would help keep breast firm during and after the breastfeeding period. “Breastfeeding also helps mothers lose the weight they might have gained during pregnancy and surprisingly, Nigeria still has one of the lowest exclusive breastfeeding rates of between 20 and 23 percent of nursing mothers,” he said.
He added that the child’s nutrition for the first 1,000 days of his life was very crucial, as it would protect such child from common causes of under-five mortality such as malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia, among others,” he stressed.
Amsa Mairami, a mother and Head of Pediatrics Department, National Hospital, says breastfeeding builds mother and child bond as well as reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Mairami said this while speaking to newsmen on the sidelines of the 2019 World Breastfeeding Week programme in Abuja. She noted that breastfed babies receive a complete nutrition package, develop strong antibodies and grow up healthy. “When babies are breastfed, they grow optimally, their illness rate is low.
“They have fewer incidents of respiratory tract infection, diarrhea and have a higher cognition and are more intelligent. Mothers, who breastfeed their babies tend to get back to shape early enough. It is a form of contraceptive for them and assistance to them on child spacing and also have less risk of having breast cancer and ovarian cancer and among all, it increases the bond between the baby and mother,” she said.
According to Mairami, mothers, who breastfeed their babies well reduce the risk of getting cancer and increase the bond between them and their babies. “Mothers also avoid getting pregnant during lactation period, thereby improving the care and attention for their babies.
“Mothers should breastfeed their babies extensively for the first six months after birth, because breastfed babies look well-nourished and healthy. Mothers should be empowered with adequate knowledge they need to breastfeed their babies. And they should be encouraged and supported,” she said.
However, breastfeeding is equally important to the mother. According to medical research, breastfeeding helps to burn extra calories and also lose pregnancy weight faster. It releases the hormone oxytocin, which helps your uterus return to its pre-pregnancy size and may reduce uterine bleeding after birth.
It lowers the risk of breast and ovarian cancer and it may also lower your risk of osteoporosis, too.
– Aug. 10, 2019 @ 10:25 GMT |
Tags: Benefits of exclusive Breastfeeding
