Breast milk is best food described as ‘mother’s love’. It is the nature’s way of ensuring nourishment, comfort, care, and protection to the new born. Breastfeeding creates a beautiful bond between the mother and her baby. It also establishes a sense of trust and nonverbal communication by which the baby recognises the mother, her touch, her feel, and voice.
Unfortunately, many women believe that breastfeeding might have a sagging effect, but the truth is though pregnancy alters the look and feel of the breasts to some extent, breastfeeding does not have any altering effects. On the contrary, it provides endless benefits to both mother and the baby.
Breastfeeding provides complete nourishment to the baby as breast milk is a perfect combination of vitamins, protein, and fat which is in a form that can be more easily digested than infant formula. It contains antibodies that strengthen the immune system and help the baby fight against viruses and bacteria that cause illnesses. It also lowers the risk of asthma or allergies. In short, breast fed babies have fewer hospitalizations or trips to the doctor and reach their growth milestones at the right age. Moreover, breastfed infants are less likely to be overweight when they grow up.
Breastfeeding is also beneficial to the mother as it is known to burn up to 800 calories per day thus helping in losing weight that was acquired during pregnancy. It reduces the stress level and avoids the risk of postpartum depression. It releases a hormone called oxytocin which helps the uterus to shrink to its normal size after birth. It also lowers the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Breastfeeding has taken a back seat in the modern world due to the number of working mothers who are either unavailable or totally unaware about benefits of breast feeding and its importance. The breastfeeding week is an attempt to popularize breastfeeding and to celebrate motherhood.
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