Congratulations, you are pregnant!
You must be so excited and a little scared at the same time. You have a million things to think about, from names to diapers and babysitters when you need one. You also have health issues to think about, like whether you will breast feed your child or start them strictly on a formula when they are born. The choice is completely up to you; however, research has shown that breast milk is far superior to formula.
Breast milk is full of healthy nutrients and vitamins that will keep your baby healthy and strong for years to come. The antibodies in the milk help support and increase the vitality of the baby’s support system. They are able to fight off colds and flues faster and more effectively than if they did not have breast milk.
It is even thought among researchers and the medical community that breast milk will help deter the disease SIDS and may even eliminate your child’s chances of getting it. You should also keep your child on their back while they are napping, even if they roll on their side or are at the age that they can flip over in their crib.
Another part of the breast milk, Colostrum, is very important to your baby. This element of breast milk helps protect the baby’s immune system. It is extremely high in antibodies and nutrients that can keep the baby healthier, even when they have older siblings.
For your baby, breast milk will be easier for their stomach to digest than formula is. Because their stomachs are so small at birth and can only hold so much, the breasts only manufacture what they can consume without harming themselves. As they grow and their stomachs fill out, the production of breast milk lengthens to meet the baby’s needs.
Breast milk inherently carries many antibodies and has been shown to reduce the risk factors of many diseases in babies and women alike. While some of these diseases are the average run of the mill cold or flu, others are more serious, like Diabetes, Asthma, and obesity among others. In women, it helps prevent cancers of the breast and ovaries as well as depression after the baby is born. Breast feeding also provides a way for mother and child to bond in a way that they will never be able to bond with anyone else.
It is a very tender, gentle, and personal moment for the mother and baby, so take it slowly. Your baby probably will not latch on the first time that you try to breast feed. Do not get frustrated or upset with yourself. This will take time and practice for both of you to get used to and practice. Therefore, you would be wise to have a bottle standing by, just in case the first feeding does not go so well.
Do not blame yourself or the baby. You just need more practice. So, take your baby into your bedroom, close the door, and relax. That will aid you in breast feeding and will help the baby relax into it as well. Then, try it again. Before long, you both will fall into a routine without any problems.