Why it is important to breastfeed your child
Today marks the beginning of World Breastfeeding Week 2018 and Review spoke to local general practitioner, Dr. Mariki Durand about why it is so important for mothers to breastfeed their babies.
POLOKWANE – Durand says not only is breastfeeding cheap, it is convenient and perfect for your baby as no canned milk comes near.
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“Mom’s antibodies that fight infection go through the milk, so babies become less ill. Breast babies’ gut flora differs and it causes less allergy, therefore, the baby will have a stronger immunity. A lot of the time, the first two weeks are painful and uncomfortable but after that, it becomes easier. The biggest problem Mom’s face is when the baby doesn’t latch properly and this results in, among other things, painful nipples.”
Breast Feeding expert, Rika Terblanche has assisted many woman struggling with latching.
She gave Review the following advice: “A baby needs to be relaxed. So I usually start with massaging the baby until he/she is relaxed. Touch kick starts the brain causing them to latch better. ‘Latching buttons’ can be found on different parts of the body such as the palm of the hand and tongue ties or a lip ties usually help too. If your baby does not suck correctly, there isn’t enough stimulation on the breast, so milk production is not enough. If the baby does not suck right, they will get cramps or reflux and these are two of the biggest reasons why moms struggle to breastfeed.”
Rika’s advice to new Moms is to firstly make sure that your baby is relaxed and secondly, to massage your baby.
“A baby born by C-section needs more massaging as, since he/she did not came out normally, his sucking reflex was not actually activated,” she explained.
World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world.
