The Importance of Breastfeeding
Mothers are always encouraged to breastfeed their infants. Doctors usually recommend breastfeeding a child for at least six months, and for as long as the act is comfortable for both mother and child. Some doctors even recommend breastfeeding up to two years of age. This is because the natural milk your child gets from your breasts is irreplaceable, cannot be substituted, and is important for both you and your child.
The two most popular aspects of the importance of breastfeeding are the physical development and health benefits it gives your child, and the emotional and psychological development and health it promotes for and between you and your child.
The nutrition that your child will get from your breast milk is perfect for your child at their tiny age, and though some baby formulas believe they can replace or mimic it, more and more scientific studies are showing that breast milk cannot be copied because it has over 200 nutritional components, many of which are not found in baby formulas. More irreplaceable than that, the psychological and emotional bond between you and your child and the feeling of safety and happiness your child will have and feel during breastfeeding cannot be substituted.
Breastfeeding should begin as soon as the baby is born and ready to eat. Sometimes this can be as quickly as half an hour after birth. It is important that you breastfeed your child within the first few hours after their birth because the first milk that comes from your breasts, known as colostrum is the very best for a newborn. It is the richest in immunities, and it begins building your child's defense systems quickly and steadily to prepare them during their infancy, childhood, and for the rest of their lives.
Colostrum is actually already present in your breasts after the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy. After childbirth, it will be available in amounts that will perfectly match your baby's stomach. It usually will be produced the first few days after birth. It has a thick consistency and is yellowish in color. It contains protein in high amounts while being low in sugar and fats. It is also a child's first laxative, helping your baby clean out its little system while protecting your baby's intestines, giving the intestines the ability to repair itself when damaged, and preparing it for the ingestion of food and other drinks in the future.
For up to at least six months of age, however, your child should be exclusively breastfed or fed only breast milk. Your breast milk is very easily digested by your baby's body because it has the exact amounts of lactose, whey, casein, and good essential fats for your baby. In fact, your breast milk will match your child's immune system in a way that no other milk or baby formula can. It is genetically tailored to your child, matching your child's genes and requirements perfectly, something formula milk cannot do.
Page Two: A Few Benefits of Breastfeeding (The Importance of Breastfeeding continued)
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