Breastfeeding your baby for even
a day is the best baby gift you can give.
Breastfeeding
is almost always the best choice for your baby. If it doesn't seem like the best choice for you right now, these
guidelines may help
.IF
YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR JUST A FEW DAYS, he will have received
yourcolostrum, or early milk. By providing
antibodies and the food his brand-new body expects, nursing gives your baby his
first - and easiest "immunization" and helps get his digestive system
going smoothly. Breastfeeding is how your baby expects to start, and helps your
own body recover from the birth. Why
not use your time in the hospital to prepare your baby for life through the
gift of nursing?
IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR FOUR
TO SIX WEEKS, you will
have eased him through the most critical part of his infancy. Newborns who are
not breastfed are much more likely to get sick or be hospitalized, and have
many more digestive problems than breastfed babies. After 4 to 6 weeks, you'll
probably have worked through any early nursing concerns, too. Make a serious
goal of nursing for a month, call La Leche League or a LactationConsultant if
you have any questions, and you'll be in a better position to decide whether
continued breastfeeding is for you.
IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 3 OR 4
MONTHS, her
digestive system will have matured a great deal, and she will be much better
able to tolerate the foreign substances in commercial formulas. If there is a family history of allergies,
though, you will greatly reduce her risk by waiting a few more months before
adding anything at all to her diet of breastmilk. And giving nothing but your milk for the first four months gives
strong protection against ear infections for a whole year.
IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 6
MONTHS, she will
be much less likely to suffer an allergic reaction to formula or other
foods; the American Academy of
Pediatrics recommends waiting until about 6 months to offer solid foods.Nursing
for at least 6 months helps ensure better health throughout your baby's first
year of life, and reduces your own risk of breast cancer.Nursing for 6 months
or more may greatly reduce your little one's riskOf ear infections and
childhood cancers. And exclusive,
frequent breastfeeding during the first 6 months, if your periods have not
returned, provides 98% effective contraception.
IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 9
MONTHS, you will
have seen him through the fastest and most important brain and body development
of his life on the food that was designed for him - your milk. Nursing for at least this long will help
ensure better performance all through his school years. Weaning may be fairly easy at this age...
but then, so is nursing! If you want to
avoid weaning this early, be sure you've been available to nurse for comfort as
well as just for food.
IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR A
YEAR, you can
avoid the expense and bother of formula.
Her one-year-old body can probably handle most of the table foods your
family enjoys. Many of the health
benefits this year of nursing has given your child will last her whole
life. She will have a stronger immune
system, for instance, and will be much less likely to need orthodontia or
speech therapy. The American Academy of
Pediatrics recommends nursing for at least a year, to help ensure normal
nutrition and health for your baby.
IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 18
MONTHS, you will
have continued to provide your baby's normal nutrition and protection against
illness at a time when illness is common in other babies. Your baby is probably well started on table
foods, too. He has had time to form a
solid bond with you – a healthy starting point for his growing
independence. And he is old enough that
you and he can work together on the weaning process, at a pace that he can
handle. A former U.S. Surgeon General
said, "it is the lucky baby... that nurses to age two."
IF YOUR CHILD WEANS WHEN SHE IS READY, you can feel confident that you
have met your baby's physical and emotional needs in a very normal, healthy
way. In cultures where there is no pressure to wean, children tend to nurse for
at least two years. The World Health
Organization and UNICEF strongly encourage breastfeeding through
toddlerhood: "Breastmilk is an
Important Source of energy and protein, and helps to protect against disease
during the child's second year of life."
Our biology seems geared to a weaning age of between 2 1/2 and 7 years,
and it just makes sense to build our children's bones from the milk that was
designed to build them. Your milk
provides antibodies and other protective substances as long as you continue
nursing, and families of nursing toddlers often find that their medical bills
are lower than their neighbors' for years to come. Mothers who have nursed longterm have a still lower risk of
developing breast cancer. Children who were nursed longterm tend to be very
secure, and are less likely to suck their thumbs or carry a blanket. Nursing can help ease both of you through
the tears, tantrums, and tumbles that come with early childhood, and helps
ensure that any illnesses are milder and easier to deal with. It's an all-purpose mothering tool you won't
want to be without! Don't worry that
your child will nurse forever. All
children stop eventually, no matter what you do, and there are more nursing
toddlers around than you might guess.
WHETHER YOU NURSE FOR A DAY OR
FOR SEVERAL YEARS, the
decision to nurse your child is one you need never regret. And whenever weaning takes place, remember
that it is a big step for both of you.
If you choose to wean before your child is ready, be sure to do it
gradually, and with love.
©1997 Diane Wiessinger, MS,
IBCLC
136 Ellis Hollow Creek Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
kolina@cs.colorado.edu