According to recent statistics, over 70% of American women start breastfeeding their baby at birth but only 16% are still nursing when their baby is a year old. Following these tips will make a big difference.

Build a Support Network

Even though mom and baby are the ones breastfeeding, building a network of supportive people is key. This would include taking steps like: making sure your baby’s father strongly supports breastfeeding; educating family members close to you about breastfeeding; finding health care practitioners who are breastfeeding advocates and also knowledgeable; and making friends with other nursing moms who can be a source of information and support.

Nurse Early and Often

“Nurse early and often” is a tip that La Leche League, considered the world’s foremost authority on breastfeeding, has long advocated. Why? Breastfeeding soon after birth and frequently thereafter helps establish milk supply and helps mom’s uterus contract, reducing postpartum bleeding and other complications.

Babies are typically born ready to nurse within about 20 minutes of birth and the experience of many has shown that this is an ideal time to introduce the breast. Not limiting baby’s time at the breast, but rather nursing when he indicates the desire means mom will develop a healthy milk supply and avoid issues with plugged ducts or mastitis.

Avoid Artificial Nipples

While pacifiers have some benefits, they are best avoided in the early weeks when baby and mom are getting used to nursing. The same is especially true of supplemental bottles. These can disrupt the balance of supply and demand that makes breastfeeding work and lead to insufficient milk supply as well as confusion in the baby.

Despite what some Pediatricians or Doctors say, the experience of many mothers and breastfeeding experts over the years has shown that some babies do indeed have much trouble switching from breast to bottle. Wait until the baby is several weeks old to introduce bottles.

Give It Six Weeks

For some nursing couples (remember that it takes two to make breastfeeding work, and one of you may have more trouble than the other in learning the ropes!), nursing is smooth sailing. For others, it’s one challenge after another, but even for these nursing dyads, most of the time breastfeeding gets easy after the 6 week mark.

Take it one day at a time, but don’t give up too quickly. It’s surprising how often things just magically improve once baby matures a bit. Get help from a Lactation Consultant, La Leche League leader or another breastfeeding mom if you need it. Breastfeeding should not hurt!

INTRODUCTION

Breastfeeding is the feeding of an newborn baby or young child with breast milk directly from human breasts. You can breast feed your baby directly at your breast or you can also bump your breasts and put the milk in a bottle.  This benefit you when you are not there to feed your baby.

Newborns have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is possible for most mothers to nourish their infant by breastfeeding for the first six months to a year if not longer, without the supplement of infant formula milk or solid food.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommens extended breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends at least one year of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of the infant’s life.

The WHO and AAP both stress the value of breastfeeding for mothers and children while recognizing the superiority of breastfeeding, regulating authorities work to make artificial feeding safer when it is not used.

In most situations human breast milk is the best source of nourishment for human infants. Breast-feeding lowers your child’s risk for some illnesses and diseases.  Breastfed baby’s have fewer bouts of diarrhea than babies who are not breast-fed as well as less ear infections, less urinary tract infections.  Breastfeeding can also help later on in life with problems like asthma, diabetes, obesity, eczema, and high blood pressure.

Breast milk is easy to digest and contains antibodies that can protect infants from bacterial and viral infections. Research indicates that women who breastfeed may have lower rates of certain breast and ovarian cancers.

Breastfeeding is also great for the mom as well.  Did you know that you may recover from your pregnancy, labor, and delivery sooner when you breast-feed?  Oxytocin is a hormone released from the pituitary gland in the brain. This hormone is released when a women’s breast is stimulated by the baby suckling or pumping, causing milk to move form the ducts and out the tiny holes in the nipple.  Oxytocin helps your uterus bleed less and return to its normal size after pregnancy.

I think the most important point I’m trying to make is the importance of breastfeeding babies.  Each year more and more scientific evidence is gathered to prove what many people already intuitively know: that a mother’s milk is the best food for her baby.