Breast Feeding Benefits | Advantages of Breast Feeding to Baby

• A new research claims that breast feeding the baby for a longer period of time, could avert the occurrence of diabetes and cardio-vascular disorders in later life.
• The study states that breast feeding for a period of 1 month, halves the risk of developing pre-diabetes, a medical condition that could cause full-blown diabetes and cardiac disorders later on.
• The research was carried on for 20 years, and the results showed that mothers who had breast fed their babies, demonstrated optimum levels of lipids and glucose in the blood, than those mothers who bottle fed their babies.
• Gunderson, of the Kaiser Permanente care organization, California, says, breast feeding definitely helps, but, it is unclear how breast feeding offers protection against diabetes and cardio-vascular diseases.
• Health tip:
• Let your daily diet comprise of a good supply of nuts, especially almonds and groundnuts, and milk. These foods are known to help and stimulate adequate milk production.

Nutritional requirements for a lactating woman

• The energy intake of a breast feeding mother should be appropriate.
  In addition to the amount of energy necessary to meet the woman’s daily needs, energy is also required for the metabolic work involved in producing milk.
• Ensure that the diet is protein rich. Dietary protein is converted in to milk protein, thus, a diet lacking in sufficient proteins, will result in a drop in the production of milk.
• The need for linoleic acid, a PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid) increases during the phase of breast feeding.
• The diet should meet the daily requirement of calcium. Calcium supplements are advocated.
• An increased intake of fluids is recommended for adequate milk production. Enhance the consumption of water and other liquids (milk, buttermilk, juices, soups, juicy fruits).

Dietary guidelines for breast feeding mothers

1. The nutritional requirements for a breast feeding mother are more than the requirement by a woman during any other phase in her life.
2. Your diet ought to provide you with sufficient lactagogues. Lactagogues are those foods which stimulate the production of breast milk. Incorporate milk, garlic, onions, nuts, and garden cress seeds in to the daily diet. They are greatly beneficial.
3. Ward off excessive weight gain. Do not pile on too many calories.
4. Take care to prevent constipation. Eat a fiber rich diet, that improves bowel motility.
5. Certain foods that cause distress to the baby should be avoided. Identify those particular food items and steadily avoid them. The baby may show signs of gastric or abdominal distress, or loose motions to specific foods.

Things to Take care while breast feeding

• Caffeine is absorbed in human milk. Significantly, the metabolism of caffeine in the infant, takes longer, compared to its metabolism in adults. This could result in irritability and petulance in the baby. Hence, it is recommended that you limit or avoid the intake of caffeine rich beverages.
• Furthermore, caffeine also inhibits the ‘milk let down reflex’ (discharge of milk from the breast) in lactating women.
• Chocolate too contains caffeine in trace amounts. In addition, chocolate contains theobromide, a chemical compound and a stimulant, similar to caffeine. Theobromide is also known to increase irritability in infants.

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