Grow a Healthy Child

Full of nutrients and antibodies, breast milk is easily digested and is the best food you can give your child

There is nothing better than breastfeeding your child. Breast milk is not just any milk; it is live tissue fluid which contains good bacteria, immunity booster elements and DHA (docosahexaeonic acid) for brain development and has ingredients that are not found in cow’s milk. Not only are there immediate benefits, but babies who are breast fed also have lesser chance of obesity, heart disease and diabetes, besides having an IQ that is 2 to 3 points higher than formula fed babies.

The perfect bond

It gives mothers a chance to hold their newborns close, cuddle them, look into their eyes, and make conversation with them. Mothers who breastfeed have lesser stress, lose more weight after pregnancy, and have lower chances of getting breast, ovarian and uterine cancer. Most mothers are motivated to breastfeed their children but some of them move to introducing formula milk or animal milk quite easily on. The most common reasons for this is the fear that there is not enough milk. Breastfeeding is 90 per cent determination and only 10 per cent about milk production.

Mother’s milk is liquid love

A few other reasons which I find in my practice are “mother gets exhausted” because of repeated breastfeeding and “have to join back work” so what would the baby drink if I am at work. Sometimes a mother may have physical conditions that make breastfeeding difficult for example, sore nipples. Products such as breast pumps can be useful then as they allow a mother to express her milk and store it which can be used later to feed the baby. It is a commonly used device by mother’s world over, however in India, they are either unaware or harbour misconceptions. This often results in them shifting the baby to formula milk which might result in loss of nutrition for the child.