Why do women breastfeed? There are so many reasons for breastfeeding, and so many questions for new mothers. but here are 10 amazing breastfeeding facts for new moms.
Breastfeeding your baby is an amazing experience for moms and their little ones. It allows you to create a close bond with your newborn and reassures you that your baby is getting all the nutrients they need from the start.
Read on as we share ten amazing facts about breastfeeding that every new parent needs to know to help you make an informed decision about your child’s diet and nutrition.
10 Amazing Facts About Breastfeeding
1. Breast Milk is Called “Liquid Gold” for a Good Reason
Breast milk has the perfect combination of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and minerals to help your baby fight infections from birth. For the first few days of breastfeeding, the mother produces colostrum, which lines the baby’s intestinal tract, protecting it from harmful bacteria.
2. Breastfeeding Builds Your Baby’s Immune System
Exclusively breastfeeding during the first six months of your baby’s life supports the development of their immune system and reduces the risk of the following conditions:
- Diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting
- Respiratory infections
- Ear infections
- Asthma
- Bacterial meningitis
- Childhood obesity
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
With stronger immunological development, your baby will have a healthy start in life that can benefit his or her well-being in the long run.
3. Encourages Close Bonding Between Mom and Baby
Caring for a newborn can be overwhelming and stressful, making it difficult to focus on forming a close bond with your baby. However, breastfeeding activates two powerful hormones in a mother, called oxytocin and prolactin, that help to reduce feelings of anxiety and stress in the first days of parenting. This empowers you to be more present, enjoy your time together, and optimize your connection with your baby.
4. You Can Dream Feed Your Baby While Breastfeeding
Dream feeding allows you to create a healthy sleep routine for your baby. Also, it helps parents to get a little more sleep, since dream feeding can lead to the infants sleeping longer.
Knowing how to dream feed your baby the right way is essential to prevent your infant from relying on the breast to put them to sleep! Correct dream feeding allows you to control your breastfeeding routine without creating bad sleep habits for your baby.
5. What You Eat Changes the Taste of Breast Milk
The maternal diet can subtly influence the flavor of breast milk, and as a result, breastfed babies often enjoy a wider variety of foods when they transition to solids! Meals containing the following ingredients and beverages can alter the way your breast milk tastes:
- Spices such as anise and caraway
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Herbs such as mint
- Alcohol
Just note that food such as beans and cauliflower can cause your breastfed baby to become gassy and fussy. Therefore, it’s important to plan a mother’s diet based on what is beneficial for the baby.
6. Breast Milk isn’t Always White
Don’t be alarmed if your breast milk suddenly changes color! During the first days of producing breast milk, it’s normally a yellowish color before it turns white. A few weeks later, the foremilk may have a blue hue, which changes to a cream or white color towards the end of a feeding session.
Greenish, pink, or reddish milk could result from something you ate, such as green vegetables, strawberries, or beetroot. Some medicines can make your breast milk black or brown!
7. Breastfeeding Can Lower the Risk of Breast Cancer
Mothers who opt to breastfeed their babies may reduce the risk of having breast cancer later in life. What’s more, the longer you breastfeed, the more protection you may have against this disease. Breastfeeding can also minimize the risk of the following conditions:
- Heart disease
- Ovarian cancer
- Postpartum depression
- Type-2 diabetes
8. The Size of Your Breasts Doesn’t Matter
If you have small breasts, you may be wondering if you can produce enough milk for your baby. It doesn’t matter whether you have small or large breasts – your body will produce enough milk for your baby either way! Also, it’s perfectly normal for your breasts to increase in size during breastfeeding.
9. Breastfeeding Can Help You Lose Weight
While breastfeeding, you could burn anything between 500 and 700 extra calories per day! Depending on pre-pregnancy weight, how much you gained before giving birth, and physical activity levels, you could lose between 0.5kg and 0.9 kg per week when breastfeeding.
10. Breast Milk Increases Fat Content During Growth Spurts
During growth spurts, your baby is hungrier and needs more breast milk to feel satisfied. Your body responds to this need by producing milk with a higher fat content. Another surprising fact is that when you or your baby is ill, the antibodies increase in the breast milk, and this helps fight off infections.
Final Thoughts
Breastfeeding has many benefits, and these amazing facts prove it! Some mothers choose to breastfeed for a long time but know that even just giving your baby breast milk during the first few months after birth will give them a healthy start in life.
