A mother’s bond flourishes from the moment you find out about the little foetus growing inside of you. As you near your due date, love will bloom and soar with the production of Oxytocin, which is a hormone that causes breast milk to flow as well as to progress labour. It’s one of the “Love Hormones” that helps a mother bond with her baby.
Doctors recommend that you instantly breastfeed as soon as your baby is delivered in order for your baby to receive colostrum which is the first milk that your body produces and contains immune factors that are vital for your baby’s intestines, nose and throat. After which, your breast milk matures to adapt or tailor itself to what your baby requires.
Breastfeeding is essentially the first line of defence and protection against illnesses and one of the reasons why doctors recommend it. It is recommended that you breastfeed your baby exclusively for the first six months of his or her life in order to receive not just the protection against illnesses but also receive nutrients and vitamins that his or her body requires to grow. Research has also shown that breast milk may protect your child from diseases later on in life; scientists claim that the antibodies found in breast milk boosts your baby’s immune system.
Breast milk also has known to protect babies from allergies often associated with formula made with the use of cow’s milk or even soy. It is said that breast milk offers a protective component that attaches to the baby’s intestinal tract and safeguards it from inflammation thus removing the risk.
There has also been much research and studies conducted to ascertain the link between breastfed babies and intelligence, where some experts say that the fatty acids alongside the emotional bonding between the mother and baby allows for the boost in brainpower benefits leading up to the mental development.
Apart from the above-mentioned benefits derived from breast-feeding your baby, you are also protecting them from the possibility of them becoming obese. As per studies conducted by the American Academy of Paediatrics, children who were exclusively breastfed offered insight into breast milk having helped in the prevention of later weight gain possibly even causing obesity. These reasons include breastfed babies being better at eating until their hunger is satiated thus leading to healthy eating patterns, breast milk containing less insulin compared to formula which is a factor in fat creation and rapid weight gain often seen in formula fed babies. Babies offered breast milk also benefit from the leptin hormone, which regulates appetite and fat.
These breast milk benefits alone are invaluable to the health and growth of your baby. You can choose to breastfeed or express your breast milk via the use of an electric breast pump such as the hospital grade Medela Symphony which was especially designed in collaboration with the Western University of Australia to mimic the baby’s sucking motion. This hospital grade electric breast pump trusted by many maternity wards and will offer you the ability to increase your milk supply while away from home or due to various reasons when you are unable to breastfeed your baby.
Contact ILS Babycare to find out more information on the Medela Symphony Breast Pump and make a booking on a four-week cycle basis.
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