Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week: Reasons Why You should Breastfeed Your Baby

Introduction

The importance of breastfeeding for the baby and mother cannot be over emphasized. The World Health Organization usually celebrate World breastfeeding week during the first week (1-7) of August every year. The theme of this year's celebration is “Breastfeeding: A key to sustainable development”.  The focus is on how breastfeeding can be use to eradicate poverty, hunger and Mal-nutrition.

The yearly celebration of World Breastfeeding is to constantly remind mothers why they should breastfeed their babies.

Breast milk contains all essential nutrients like fat, protein, carbohydrate, minerals and water that your baby needs to start well in life especially the colostrum which is the first milk produced by the mother.  

Reasons Why You Should Breastfeed Your Baby

• Breastfeeding help babies to develop mentally. Help your baby’s mental and cognitive abilities to develop to its full potentials by breastfeeding. Breastfeeding helps your baby to be smart and intelligent.  

• Breastfeeding helps to reduce the chances of babies becoming obese later in life.

• Babies get all the nutrients they need from breast milk and also in the right amount. So you do not have to worry about your baby not getting enough nutrients. Your baby will definitely not be Mal- nourished.

• Another reason why you should breastfeed your baby is that babies are never allergic to breast milk. Instead the breast milk helps to boost their immune system and ensure that they are not exposed to diarrhea and respiratory infection.

For the mother, breastfeeding helps in the following ways:

• It helps the uterus to contract. By breastfeeding your baby, your body releases oxytocin which makes the uterus to go back to its previous form (pre-pregnancy).

• Breastfeeding serve as a contraceptive for mothers. This works for mothers that breastfeed their babies exclusively.

• It is so easy for mothers to bond with their babies why breastfeeding.

• For those mothers that want to lose their pregnancy weight, breastfeeding is a means to achieving it. For some mothers, they may need to combine breastfeeding and light exercise to get their pre-pregnancy weight back.

• Breastfeeding helps reduce the risk of mothers having breast cancer.

• Breastfeeding saves cost. Mothers that breastfeed their babies exclusively do not need to buy any other form of baby’s food.

How To Increase Breast Milk Supply

Some mothers usually complain that they are not lactating, especially during the first few days after delivery. While others feel that their breast milk supply is low. Here are tips to help you increase your breast milk supply.

• Eat foods like pap and oatmeal.

• Drink warm beverages.

• Take lot of fruits like watermelon.

• Drink water. Make sure you are hydrated.

Also ensure you constantly breastfeed your baby. The more you breastfeed your baby, the more your body is stimulated to produce more milk. 

Conclusion

Mothers are advised for the first six months to breastfeed their babies exclusively since the breast milk contains all the nutrients that babies need to get a head start in life. If you are a nursing mother, please ensure you breastfeed your baby and also encourage mothers around you to do the same.

Source: World Health Organization- World Breastfeeding Week.

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