Question

What are some advantages and challenges of breast-feeding?

(Answer must be minimum 150 words and no copy & paste from internet)

Answer 1

Breastfeeding and it's benefits:-  Many of us find great pleasure and pride in our body’s ability to nourish new life. In addition, breastfeeding offers many benefits to both mothers and babies. Breast milk provides exactly the right balance of nutrients, adapting to baby’s changing requirements as she or he grows in the first months of life.

all of the health benefits associated with breastfeeding for mother and baby are :-

Benefits of breastfeeding for Baby::-

(a.)Breastfeeding is the most natural and nutritious way to encourage baby’s optimal development.

(b.) Colostrum (the first milk) is a gentle, natural laxative that helps clear baby’s intestine, decreasing the chance for jaundice to occur.

(c.) The superior nutrition provided by breast milk benefits baby’s IQ.

(d.) Breastfeeding is a gentle way for newborns to transition to the world outside the womb.

(e.) The skin-to-skin contact encouraged by breastfeeding offers babies greater emotional security and enhances bonding.

(f.) The activity of sucking at the breast enhances development of baby’s oral muscles, facial bones, and aids in optimal dental development.

(g.) Breastfeeding appears to reduce the risk of obesity and hypertension.

(h.) Breastfeeding delays the onset of hereditary allergic disease, and lowers the risk of developing allergic disease.

(i.)Breastfeeding helps the baby’s immune system mature, protecting the baby in the meantime from viral, bacteria, and parasitic infections.

(j.) Breastfeeding increases the effectiveness of immunizations, increasing the protection against polio, tetanus, and diphtheria vaccines.

(k.) Breastfeeding protects against developing chronic diseases such as: celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, and childhood cancers.

(l.) The benefits of breastfeeding appear to last even after the baby has been weaned.

Lack of Breastfeeding Increases the Risk to the Infant of following:-

(i) Ear infections.

(ii.)Childhood diabetes

(III.) Obesity

(iv) Gastrointestinal and diarrheal infections

(v.) Childhood cancers.

(vi) SIDS

(vii) Respiratory infections

(viii) Allergies

(ix) NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis).

Benefits of the breastfeeding for mother:-

(a.) Breast milk is always fresh, perfectly clean, just the right temperature, and is the healthy choice at the least cost!

(b.)Increased levels of oxytocin stimulate postpartum uterine contractions, minimizing blood loss and encouraging rapid uterine toning.

(c.) From 3 months to 12 months postpartum, breastfeeding increases the rate of weight loss in most nursing mothers.

(d.) Breastfeeding offers some protection against the early return of fertility.

(e.) Because breastfed babies are healthier, their mothers miss less work and spend less time and money on pediatric care.

(f.) Breastfeeding women report psychological benefits such as increased self-confidence and a stronger sense of connection with their babies.

Lack of Breastfeeding Increases the Risk to the Mother of the following:-

(a.)Urinary tract infection

(b.) Pre-and post-menopausal breast cancer

(c.) Ovarian cancer

(d.) Osteoporosis.

breastfeeding challenges of mothers are as follows:-

(1.)SORE NIPPLES:-.

(a.)The most common cause of nipple soreness is a poor latch. Your baby may be getting milk by “chewing” on the tip of the nipple, rather than opening wide and compressing as much of the areola as possible. Pain often stems from incorrect positioning, the baby not opening his or her mouth wide enough, or tongue tie (ankyloglossia). If you have pain in your nipple every time the baby sucks, take the baby off your breast and reposition yourselves so that your nipple moves farther back in your baby’s mouth. If that does not resolve the issue and you continue to have pain, contact a lactation consultant for advice about improving the latch and ask to be checked for possible tongue-tie (which can be corrected with a simple procedure).

(b.) Another cause of nipple soreness is a yeast infection commonly known as thrush. Thrush is caused when an infection in the baby’s mouth spreads to the mother’s nipples. A newborn can get thrush if the mother had a vaginal yeast infection when giving birth or if the mother was treated with antibiotics after the birth. A thrush infection can make a woman’s nipples itchy, red, swollen, tender, and sometimes cracked.

(2.) ENGORGEMENT (WHEN YOUR BREASTS ARE TOO FULL):-

Engorgement is a state of over-fullness in the breast that is accompanied by swelling, redness or shininess of the skin, increased temperature of the breast, and marked discomfort when the breast is moved or touched. Engorgement may occur in the first few days while your milk comes in or after breastfeeding is well established, particularly if you go for longer periods of time without nursing or pumping, such as when the baby sleeps for longer stretches or you return to work.

(3.) PLUGGED DUCTS AND MASTITIS (BREAST INFLAMMATION):-

(a.) A red, sore, or possibly even swollen spot on your breast may signify a plugged milk duct. To clear the blockage, try to gently massage the area while nursing, taking care to massage toward the nipple, nurse frequently from that breast, and start each feeding session from that breast. Apply moist heat or direct the shower spray to the area when bathing. Changing the infant’s positions for feedings may also help drain the area more effectively.

(b.)If the blockage does not clear, you may develop a breast infection called mastitis. A full-blown case of mastitis feels like a bad case of the flu. In addition to pain and redness on the breast, you will be achy, feverish, and shivery. You may be tired and sore and not feel the least bit like breastfeeding, but whatever you do, don’t stop. You’ve got to keep your breasts draining, or the mastitis could advance to a breast abscess, a rare but serious condition that can require surgical drainage.

(4.)Low milk supply:-. low milk supply usually arise several days after birth, often if a baby has lost a significant percentage of her or his birth weight and has soiled or wet only a few diapers. In many cases, the cause of this may actually be poor latch or some other common breastfeeding difficulty. Mothers are often concerned that they have low milk supply because their baby is fussy at the breast or nursing frequently, but these are generally not indicators of a low milk supply.

In very rare cases, low milk production is caused by a medical condition or by the effects of previous breast surgery. In addition, certain kinds of medications, including combined hormonal birth control pills, can affect how much milk your breasts produce.