For the first few days, she struggled to breastfeed him at all. In five days, he lost 13 percent of his body weight. She developed thrush a yeast infection that moms and babies can pass back and forth and mastitis breast inflammation that causes searing pain. Every time the baby cried for food, she rigged herself up to a supplemental nursing system, a set of tubes that gave her son formula as well as whatever milk he could get from her breasts.
She was prescribed Reglan, or metoclopramide, a medication sometimes used to boost milk supply. She pumped before and after feedings, and she dutifully nursed every two hours, even when it meant waking her son and sacrificing her precious sleep.
Her quest to breastfeed was exhausting. The goal is clear. The group points to benefits like decreased risk of infant infection. More than 80 percent of moms start out breastfeeding, a significant jump over previous decades, and only 58 percent are still going at six months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There are many reasons women do not breastfeed or do not breastfeed exclusively or for as long as recommended, such as latch problems, pain, milk supply issues, other medical complications, the need to return to work early and choosing not to. I still nursed occasionally, mostly for comfort and because I enjoyed the closeness.
But as Mira drank more formula it became abundantly clear that she was getting very little if nothing from me. Today, Mira is eight years old. She has a perfectly healthy weight. And she is remarkably healthy, getting maybe one bad cold a year. Here are ways to mimic some of the benefits of breastfeeding. Once your baby is ready for solid foods between four and six months of age , focus on introducing a wide array of fruits and vegetables. Remember: children ages one through six should have no more than four to six ounces of juice per day.
Keep newborns away from crowds. Joyner also recommends that everyone in the household receive a pertussis whooping cough vaccination. A highly contagious disease, pertussis can be deadly in infants, especially those under three months old. Because immunity from the vaccine decreases over time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults get a booster shot to lower the risk of their getting the disease and passing it on to a child. Reading to your child is one of the best things you can do to prime him for academic success, says Joyner.
New moms often breastfeed their babies for the first few months after birth. However, if you are unable to produce enough milk, even after long hours of pumping, switch to the bottle without guilt. Bonding with the baby is more important than dwelling on unnecessary guilt. Right from the time of conception, many women are excited about breastfeeding their babies.
But some mothers do not lactate enough or need to resume work soon after delivery. This leads to them not breastfeeding their babies. However, this is perfectly normal and nothing to feel guilty about. Breastfeeding is not the only thing that mothers can do to keep their babies healthy. Non-breastfeeding mothers are no less of a mom! Time and again, breast milk has been noted for its antibodies that help fight infections and boost the immune system.
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