A baby is a source of pride for a family. Their presence ensures the success of a wedding programme. Being a parent is difficult, especially for first-time parents. As a result, there are many things to learn when it comes to parenting, one of which is The Best Way to Breastfeed.
What Exactly is Breastfeed?
Breastfeeding is one of the things that doctors advise mothers to do. Breastfeeding is said to be capable of delivering early nutrients to the infant’s body, such as fats, carbs, minerals, and vitamins, in addition to fostering a good link between the baby and the mother. Furthermore, nursing can assist promote motor movements in babies early in their development.
Roles of The Best Way to Breastfeed
Breast milk is the main nutritional intake for infants. Therefore, breastfeeding can provide many benefits for babies, including:
Prevent infection and various diseases
During breastfeeding, the mother will provide various nutrients to the baby through breast milk, including antibodies that can strengthen the baby’s immune system. Antibody substances that come from breast milk cannot be replaced by formula feeding.
The main antibody in breast milk is called immunoglobulin A (IgA). This substance is mostly contained in colostrum and can protect the baby’s body from infection. In addition, IgA can also reduce the baby’s risk of developing various diseases, such as diarrhea, asthma, allergies, obesity, and diabetes.
Smooth digestion
Breast milk is often referred to as the perfect food because it contains nutrients that are easily digested by babies, such as protein, lactose, and fat.
Besides being good for supporting the functioning of the digestive system which is still developing, breastfeeding is also good for preventing digestive disorders in infants such as constipation and diarrhea, especially in babies born prematurely.
Sufficient baby’s nutritional needs
Breast milk contains a complete variety of substances and nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, which formula or other foods do not have. Breast milk is produced through natural processes in the mother’s body and contains components that are most suitable for the baby’s needs.
Introduce baby to many flavors
Every food you eat during breastfeeding will affect the taste of your breast milk. Indirectly, this can introduce babies to various flavors of food through breast milk. This taste recognition is expected to help babies when they start trying complementary foods (MPASI) later.
Increase brain intelligence
Several studies show that there is a relationship between breastfeeding and cognitive development of children. Children who are exclusively breastfed as babies appear to have a higher level of intelligence or IQ than children who are not breastfed.
However, the level of intelligence of a child is also influenced by many factors, such as parenting and family environment.
Prevents babies from dying suddenly
There are many studies showing that breastfed babies have a lower risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), when compared to babies who are not breastfed. This benefit can even be obtained by the baby even though he has only been breastfed for 2 months.
How is The Best Way to Breastfeed?
Here are some things you can do to make breastfeeding easy and fun for both mother and baby:
Make sure mother and baby are relaxed and comfortable
The Best Way to Breastfeed position of the baby’s head should be higher than the body. This is intended to make it easier for the baby to swallow. Mothers can support it with your hands or prop it up with a pillow. Then, place the baby’s nose in line with the nipple. This will encourage the baby to open his mouth.
Bring the baby closer to the breast is The Best Way to Breastfeed position
When the baby starts to open his mouth and wants to suckle, then bring the baby closer to the mother’s breast. Wait until the mouth is wide open with the tongue down. If the baby has not done so, the mother can guide the baby by gently touching the bottom of the baby’s lips with the mother’s nipple.
Correct attachment
The best attachment position for a nursing baby is the baby’s mouth not only against the nipple, but also on the areola. This attachment is one of the important requirements in the correct way of breastfeeding. Good attachment is characterized by the absence of pain in the mother when the baby suckles and the baby gets sufficient milk. To find this out, the mother can listen when the baby swallows breast milk.
Correcting the baby’s position
If the nipple hurts, remove the attachment by inserting your little finger into your mouth and placing it between the gums. This movement will stop the feeding while you can adjust the baby’s position. Then, try again for a better attachment position. Once the latch is correct, the baby will generally be able to suckle well.
Feeding time
Babies can nurse from 5 minutes to 1 hour, depending on their needs. For newborns, usually the baby needs to be fed every 2-3 hours with a feeding time of 10-15 minutes per session, but it can also be longer.