Читать книгу The Smart Parents Guide to Breastfeeding - Jennifer Ritchie - Страница 2

The reality is that it will be harder than you think. Pretend you just qualified to be in the Breastfeeding Olympics and you have some fierce competition. Instead of other athletes, your competition is hormonal imbalances, breast anatomy, insufficient milk removal, yeast, bacteria, and good old-fashioned pain.

Rest assured, your breast milk is still a safe bet. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), breast milk is still the best source of nutrition for most infants and is believed safe to consume even after the mom has been infected with a virus. In limited reports of lactating women infected with SARS-CoV, the virus was not detected in breast milk, and antibodies against SARS-CoV were detected in at least one sample.

Reduce stress however you can. This is a stressful time to have a baby, and anxiety can substantially impact a child’s developing oxytocin systems. Oxytocin production can be triggered by eye contact, empathy, or touch. It helps us relate to others, strengthens trust, and fosters closeness in relationships. Studies show a new mother’s oxytocin levels can influence her behavior and, as a result, the bond she makes with her baby, so reduce stress in any way you can.

Focus on the first two weeks. Most breastfeeding problems occur in the first two weeks of a child’s life, leading many moms to give up too early. Your focus, in the beginning, should be to make it past these first two weeks before throwing in the towel.

Supplementing with formula is perfectly okay. Some mothers cannot find adequate time to pump or cannot produce enough milk to completely nourish their baby. Don’t give up! Just one drop of breast milk contains one million white blood cells. If your baby gets at least one teaspoon of breast milk per day, they will still get the antibodies and bacteria-eating cells that are important to a developing immune system.

Stay connected to what really matters. Look for published research and, preferably, “randomized triple-blinded” studies. In the end, trust your gut, love your baby, and take care of yourself. After delivery, your left brain stops working, so you may find yourself experiencing more emotions than logic (much like when you were a teenager). Don’t give in to guilt, focus on learning through experience, and build that family unit with lots of skin-to-skin contact!

I want you to go into this challenge with determination but knowing that you may have some setbacks. Just remember, if you get knocked down, it doesn’t mean you give up. Keep your focus on building the foundation for your child’s great future.

How long should a woman breastfeed?

 The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Association of Family Physicians (AAFP) recommend that babies receive nothing but breast milk for about the first six months of life and that mothers continue breastfeeding at least until the end of their baby’s first year.

 The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breastfeeding exclusively for up to six months of age, with continued breastfeeding and appropriate complementary foods for up to two years of age or beyond.

Physicians recommend that mothers breastfeed their babies, as breastfeeding has many health benefits for both the mom and her infant. But, many babies never receive breast milk, especially in developing countries. A UNICEF report released May 2018 shows that in high-income countries, more than one in five babies is never breastfed, whereas in low- and middle-income countries, one in 25 babies is never breastfed. Among the high-income countries, Ireland, France, and the United States had the three lowest breastfeeding rates.

What do the numbers tell us?

Among infants born in 2015 in the United States, four out of five (83.2%) started to breastfeed, over half (57.6%) were breastfeeding at six months, and over one-third (35.9%) were breastfeeding at 12 months. Compared to rates for infants born in 2014, rates increased for breastfed infants born in 2015 at six and 12 months (CDC Breastfeeding Report Card2018).

If you have a vaginal birth, you are discharged in two days. Typically, this is before your milk ”comes in,” so you will be stuck without resources when you need them the most. Many new moms find themselves on the internet at 2 AM looking up symptoms and self-diagnosing.

Why are breastfeeding rates in the U.S. so low? Based on years of patients’ feedback, the decline is not due to a lack of effort, but the anxiety caused by breastfeeding problems or concerns that the baby is not getting enough. Most of the 10,000+ patients I have seen have told me they would have given up if it weren’t for my help.