3 OF THE BEST... CHILDREN’S
apes, breastfeeding is a learned behaviour.
A juvenile female gorilla in Ohio Zoo, having been separated from her mother at a young age, had no idea how to feed her first baby. But during her second pregnancy, zookeepers had the inspired idea of asking human mothers to regularly breastfeed their babies in front of her. When her second baby was born, the gorilla picked it up and put it to the breast.
In the past, human mothers would have learned how to breastfeed by watching relatives and friends. For this reason, it’s a good idea for pregnant women who want to breastfeed, to spend some time with a friend who’s successfully nursing her baby. The National Breastfeeding
Helpline and apps can also offer advice on breastfeeding.
THAN 95% OF WOMEN CAN PRODUCE ALL THE
MILK THEIR BABY NEEDS
THE vast majority of women can make all the milk their baby needs and, contrary to popular belief, the size of a woman’s breasts doesn’t impact the volume of milk she can produce.
Milk production depends entirely on supply and demand: in the early months, milk needs to be removed effectively from both her breasts at least eight times in 24 hours for a mother’s supply to be established and maintained.
By far the most common reason for low milk supply is under-stimulation of a mother’s breasts, either because her baby isn’t feeding frequently enough or isn’t removing milk effectively.
A NATURAL PAINKILLER
BREAST milk contains natural painkillers called endocannabinoids. Breastfeeding before and during vaccination injections has been shown to reduce pain in babies.
PROTECTS MOTHERS AGAINST BREAST CANCER
THE Tanka Fisherwomen of Southern China traditionally only breastfeed their babies from their right breast. In the early 1970s, a medical student at a Hong Kong clinic noticed that if Tanka women developed breast cancer, in 79% of cases, it was in their left breast. It was this observation that led to the discovery that breastfeeding is protective against breast cancer.
SHOULDN’T HURT
PAIN is there to tell us something is wrong, and this is true for breastfeeding too. Pain and damage happen when a mother’s nipple isn’t positioned correctly in her baby’s mouth. In the majority of cases, when a baby is well-positioning and deeply latched, breastfeeding will be completely comfortable. If breastfeeding hurts, it’s important to seek out qualified support as soon as possible.
TEMPERATURE OF A MOTHER’S BREASTS ADAPTS TO BABY’S NEEDS
A MOTHER’S breasts can warm up by 2˚C if the baby is too cold, and cool down by 2˚C if the baby is too hot. In fact, it has been shown that when newborn twins are placed in skin-toskin contact with their mother, each of her breasts will heat up to a different temperature according to each baby’s needs. This is called thermal synchrony.
MUMS SLEEP LONGER
STUDIES have shown breastfeeding mothers sleep on average 45 minutes more a night than mothers who formula feed. Human milk contains substances that promote sleep and calmness in babies.
Mothers release the hormone prolactin into their own blood while breastfeeding, which helps them to fall asleep more easily.
TOY STORY 4 KIDS TABLET
Learn and play with Woody, Buzz the Toy Story gang.