Get The Basics Right

Breastfeeding your baby will give her a great start in life. It’s important to know how to do it, and why it’s so good for her.

Your baby benefits from the perfect formula at the right temperature, ”on tap”. Breast milk supplies proteins for brain development and immunity against infections. It also lines the gut to minimise the risk of allergies when solids are introduced. There are benefits for you too, as you will burn 1 000 calories every day just from breastfeeding. This means that you will lose extra weight gained during your pregnancy. Breastfeeding also minimises post-natal bleeding (and depression), strengthens bonding with your baby and completes the breast duct maturation process that begins in the third trimester of your pregnancy. Studies have shown that this maturation process provides significant protection against breast cancer.

Starting in the first few days after birth, your breasts will feel soft, and you’ll probably not feel like you have anything to give your baby. This is not so. Colostrum is a thick super-sweet creamy bright yellow liquid, also called ”first milk”. This ”starter milk” is rich in calories, antibodies and highly specialised proteins. It’s high in carbs and gives your baby energy to recover from the birth and keep warm, and also prepares the gut for feeding by cleaning out the debris that collected there during the pregnancy – namely meconium, or baby’s first stool.

The fact that your breasts do not ”fill up” with colostrum benefits your baby, as it’s easier to grasp the nipple and areola (brown area surrounding the nipple) when your breasts are soft. In this way, your baby will learn to latch and feed.