Why breastfeed?

There are so many reasons why every woman should breastfeed her baby. (Of course there are some women who can't because of medical reasons and my intention is not to make you feel guilty if you fall into that category.)

So here are some of the reasons for breastfeeding.

• There is absolutely NO substitute for breastfeeding. Breast milk contains all the nutrients and anti-bodies designed and required by human babies. It contains immunities to diseases and aids in the development of the baby's immune system. Formula does not and is NOT a substitute. Breast milk is the PERFECT food for human babies.
• Breastfeeding decreases a baby's chance of ear infections, diarrhoeal infections, respiratory infection, allergies & asthma + lots more. Breastfed babies are generally healthier than formula fed babies.
  
• Breastfeeding helps bonding between baby and mother, which helps with the emotional growth of the baby.
• Breast milk is FREE.
• Breast milk changes in taste depending on what the mother eats so baby is exposed to many different tastes. Formula tastes the same every time.
  
• Breast milk is easier to digest than formula.
  
• Breast milk is always ready and at the perfect temperature. No bottles to wash and sterilise. No need to pack bottles when going out.
  
• Breastfeeding produces no waste.
  
• Breastfeeding aids the mother's recovery after birth by shrinking the uterus quickly to it's pre-pregnancy size and helps to prevent post-partum haemorrhaging.
• Breastfeeding helps the mother lose weight after birth.
  
• Breastfeeding decreases a mother's chance of breast cancer.
• It is natural and it is what the breasts were designed for.
  

Preparing for breast feeding.

To prepare for breast feeding I recommend reading books or chapters on breast feeding. In particular I recommend the books Birth: Conceiving, Nurturing and Giving Birth to your Baby by Catherine Price and Sandra Robinson and Baby Love by Robin Barker for their comprehensive information. There are also courses on breast feeding, which will be run by your hospital and you can get great information from the ABA (Australian Breastfeeding Association).

To be honest at the time when I was reading and learning about breast feeding I found it frustrating because I often didn't really understand what they meant. It seemed pointless to be learning about something that you cannot practice. However, once my baby arrived I realised how useful it was to know everything I knew about breast feeding. Sure, I still didn't know how to actually do it but I knew:

• It would be difficult;
• It would be painful to begin with;
• To begin with I would be feeding 8 to 12 times a day;
• A feed would take an hour to begin with;
  
• The sorts of problems that could arise and how to deal with them;
• About the existence of lactation consultants who could help with any problems that arose;
  
• There would be temporary periods of time when the baby would feed longer and more often and they were periods of growth;
• The more milk a baby takes the more you make; and
  
• There is plenty of help out there for mothers - lactation consultants, health centre nurses, ABA, drop in clinics, etc and having a supportive partner and family is also important.
  

Armed with this information I think is part of the key to success. If you enter breast feeding expecting it to be a lot of hard work but definitely achievable and knowing that there is actually plenty of help out there then you are much more likely to succeed. A lot of women incorrectly believe they don't have a big enough supply when their baby starts feeding more often, when in fact it is a temporary period of time to increase your supply.

Of course sometimes breast feeding doesn't work out even after you have put your best effort in but I also think a lot of women give up perhaps because they didn't expect it to be such hard work.