Breastfeeding

The encouragement that a mother gets after giving birth is to breastfeed her child. Babies’ breastfeeding is exclusively for the first six months and mothers are sometimes advised to breastfeed up to one year or more.

It has been proved that breast milk has benefits which are

• Providing natural antibodies that help your baby resist illnesses, such as ear infections.
• It's usually more easily digested than formula.
• It may lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in the first year of your baby's life.
• It may raise your child's intelligence. Studies show breastfed babies have higher levels of cognitive function.
• Breast milk may even help your child in later years, by reducing the risk of being overweight, and of developing asthma, diabetes, high cholesterol.

Women who breastfeed have a reduced risk of breast cancer, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, ovarian cancer and the key reason many new mothers want to breastfeed. It's a wonderful bonding experience between a mother to child.

SOME OF THE THINGS NOT TO EAT WHEN BREAST FEEDING

Coffee- (or soda or tea), some of the caffeine ends up in your breast milk and babies aren't able to excrete caffeine as quickly or efficiently as adults.

 Chocolate -Just like coffee and soda, chocolate contains caffeine.

Alcohol- One drink or less per day likely poses risk for babies.

Garlic - Eating garlic or food with garlic often leads to breast milk taking on the slight flavor of garlic .Garlic odor can enter milk up to two hours after a meal).

Mother breastfeeding child
 (pic taken from trippingmom.com)