BREAST FEEDING IS THE BEST FEEDING FOR BABY

Mother's milk is nature's gift to infants. Practically all mothers produce sufficient milk to meet the food requirementss of the normal infant for first three months. There is really no condition where breast- feeding is contraindicated. By and large from the time of birth upto the age of 3 months breast milk alone is adequate for the needs of the growing baby.

COLOSTRUM IS VITAL

The thick yellowish breast milk, which is produced during the first 2-3 days after birth, is called colostrum. The colostrum contains less fat and lactose than mature milk and more sodium, chloride and zinc. It is rich in antibody protein especially immunoglobin A(IgA) and lactoferrin. It guards the infant against infection. Feeding of colostrum is wrongly believed to be unhygienic in certain communities, perhaps due to its yellowish colour. Such practices should be stopped as it deprives the infant of its natural resources of nutrients and antibodies.

FEEDING THE INFANT

Feeding on demand is recommended each time the baby is hungry. Duration of feeding varies from infant to infant and may range from 5-30 minutes and, or even more. The mother should be as comfortable as possible while breast feeding. She should ensure that the baby's nostrils are not obstructed by the breast.The mother should feed the baby at one breast till the milk is totally sucked and then if the baby is still hungry,the baby should be fed at the other breast.This ensures increased milk production and also the baby recieves hindmilk which is rich in fat.

ADVANTAGES OF BREAST FEEDING

    1. Provides optimum nutrition required by the newborn.
    2. Provide anti-infective factors through breast milk especially colostrum.
    3. Safer due to reduced chance of infection as compared to artificial feeding.
    4. Involves close contact of mother with infant which facilitates bonding.
    5. Prevents neonatal health problems like hypoglycemia, allergies, diarrhea & malnutrition
    6. For mother it contributes to natural contraception and thus helps in child spacing.