Lactation cookies – these are super yummy and help boost your milk supply! The recommended ‘dose’ is 4 cookies per day (good luck limiting yourself to that many). This recipe makes a lot – about 60-70 cookies - so it can be halved if necessary.
1 C butter
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
4 T water
2 T flaxseed meal (no subs)
2 Lg eggs
1 t vanilla
2 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
3 C Thick cut oats
1 C Chocolate chips
2 T Brewers Yeast (no substitutions)
Preheat oven at 375.
Mix 2 T of flaxseed meal and water, set aside 3-5 minutes.
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs.
Stir flaxseed mix into butter mix and add vanilla.
Beat until well blended.
Sift: dry ingredients, except oats and choc chips.
Add butter mix to dry ingredients.
Stir in the oats and then the choc chips.
Drop on baking sheet.
Bake 8-12 minutes.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Breastfeeding help : What helped you when starting out
Question: What helped you when starting out?
Answers
Determination. Being 110% determined to BF'd my son. I had planned a home birth, and ended up transferring and having a c-section. I was sooooo disappointed, and for me BFing made me feel more in touch with my son, more bonded and just closer to being a mother.
Finding the Le Leche League. Their support group meetings are great. It is awesome to sit in a room with other mothers knowing they are going through the same thing, have been there done that, and know where you are coming from.
Just letting my son take the lead, and nursing him on demand. I didn't worry about how much he was gaining in weight, I just nursed him, and nursed him and nursed him. I trusted in my body to feed him and trusted him to know when he needed to nurse.
Getting comfy on the sofa, especially for those marathon sessions. I was able to watch movies, and just relax, and not watch the clock. I found for the first month, I usually just watched him, staring at his little perfect face.
Remembering there is a light at the end of the BFing tunnel, and it would get easier.
I didn't see FFig as an option I was so committed.
I BF laying on my side because I couldn't sit up after my C-section.
I BF through a yeast infection in my milk ducts!
I BF through mastitis.
I have BF when it hurt so bad I was crying.
But, now I have a fabulous milk supply and a healthy totally boob crazy baby!
I think BFing is like labour - it hurts more than you could ever have imagined, but you survive it!
Preparation: I went to three sessions of breastfeeding classes when I was pregnant, which gave me a good knowledge base to refer to.
Staying in hospital a bit longer after delivery: This allowed me to learn from the midwives and lactation consultants expertise. Just being able to push a button and get someone to help me with my baby's latch or her positioning was invaluable.
Having my mum on the end of the phone: She breastfed all of us but she lives abroad so I was constantly on the phone or webcam to her asking her questions about feeding and getting her reassurance about various niggles I had.
My hubby's pride: He seems so proud that we have come this far, especially when no-one he knows breastfed and he wasn't breastfed. It was all so alien to him and now he revels in telling people that Poppy is breastfed and I can see that he loves it when people come round and I feed her, allowing him to tell them all about it!
My pigheadedness: I have encountered various problems with feeding (all the usual stuff, I suppose) and people have often said the ubiquitous "oh, just give her a bottle!". I have dug my heels in even further each time and it has made me more and more determined to continue.
I just love it now. I find it difficult to ever imagine stopping to be honest. It's great and I'm so glad I have stuck with it! x
Answers
Determination. Being 110% determined to BF'd my son. I had planned a home birth, and ended up transferring and having a c-section. I was sooooo disappointed, and for me BFing made me feel more in touch with my son, more bonded and just closer to being a mother.
Finding the Le Leche League. Their support group meetings are great. It is awesome to sit in a room with other mothers knowing they are going through the same thing, have been there done that, and know where you are coming from.
Just letting my son take the lead, and nursing him on demand. I didn't worry about how much he was gaining in weight, I just nursed him, and nursed him and nursed him. I trusted in my body to feed him and trusted him to know when he needed to nurse.
Getting comfy on the sofa, especially for those marathon sessions. I was able to watch movies, and just relax, and not watch the clock. I found for the first month, I usually just watched him, staring at his little perfect face.
Remembering there is a light at the end of the BFing tunnel, and it would get easier.
I didn't see FFig as an option I was so committed.
I BF laying on my side because I couldn't sit up after my C-section.
I BF through a yeast infection in my milk ducts!
I BF through mastitis.
I have BF when it hurt so bad I was crying.
But, now I have a fabulous milk supply and a healthy totally boob crazy baby!
I think BFing is like labour - it hurts more than you could ever have imagined, but you survive it!
Preparation: I went to three sessions of breastfeeding classes when I was pregnant, which gave me a good knowledge base to refer to.
Staying in hospital a bit longer after delivery: This allowed me to learn from the midwives and lactation consultants expertise. Just being able to push a button and get someone to help me with my baby's latch or her positioning was invaluable.
Having my mum on the end of the phone: She breastfed all of us but she lives abroad so I was constantly on the phone or webcam to her asking her questions about feeding and getting her reassurance about various niggles I had.
My hubby's pride: He seems so proud that we have come this far, especially when no-one he knows breastfed and he wasn't breastfed. It was all so alien to him and now he revels in telling people that Poppy is breastfed and I can see that he loves it when people come round and I feed her, allowing him to tell them all about it!
My pigheadedness: I have encountered various problems with feeding (all the usual stuff, I suppose) and people have often said the ubiquitous "oh, just give her a bottle!". I have dug my heels in even further each time and it has made me more and more determined to continue.
I just love it now. I find it difficult to ever imagine stopping to be honest. It's great and I'm so glad I have stuck with it! x
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Breastfeeding Help - Decrease in Bowel movements
Question
I'm a first time mommy. My 7 week old has been having very regular bowl movements and peeing regular everyday up until yesterday... He was having about 4-5 bowl movements and about 8 wet diapers...yesterday he did not have a bowl movement at all but he is still having the same amount of wet diapers..he is breastfeed along with bottle feed with expressed breastmilk and one bottle of formula a day at night before bed. Is this normal for a baby at 7 weeks to start not to have a bowl movement everyday? any suggestions? any other mothers babies went through this?
Answers
That is totally fine. As long as you don't see him straining or anything, breastfed babies can go up to a week without a BM. I mean, if he is happy and urinating ok, then he is fine. Call his doc and ask to make sure, but I know my breastfed baby girl will go a couple of days without a BM and her doc said that was normal. She also gets formula sometimes.
Its normal. Breast milk gets absorbed better than formula and sometimes so well that there's nothing to left to get rid of lol. My son once went 4 days without a BM and hooo boy!! Was it ever a mess when he finally did go lol. Took 4 baths to finally clean him off lmao.
My daughter was breastfed in the beginning and she had a few days that she didn't have a bowel movement....but SHE MADE UP FOR IT when it finally came! It's completely normal. My pediatrician said that she could have gone up to a week without one...however, I would NOT have let it go that long...
But it's normal for your baby not to have a bowel movement for a few days. Don't worry!
I'm a first time mommy. My 7 week old has been having very regular bowl movements and peeing regular everyday up until yesterday... He was having about 4-5 bowl movements and about 8 wet diapers...yesterday he did not have a bowl movement at all but he is still having the same amount of wet diapers..he is breastfeed along with bottle feed with expressed breastmilk and one bottle of formula a day at night before bed. Is this normal for a baby at 7 weeks to start not to have a bowl movement everyday? any suggestions? any other mothers babies went through this?
Answers
That is totally fine. As long as you don't see him straining or anything, breastfed babies can go up to a week without a BM. I mean, if he is happy and urinating ok, then he is fine. Call his doc and ask to make sure, but I know my breastfed baby girl will go a couple of days without a BM and her doc said that was normal. She also gets formula sometimes.
Its normal. Breast milk gets absorbed better than formula and sometimes so well that there's nothing to left to get rid of lol. My son once went 4 days without a BM and hooo boy!! Was it ever a mess when he finally did go lol. Took 4 baths to finally clean him off lmao.
My daughter was breastfed in the beginning and she had a few days that she didn't have a bowel movement....but SHE MADE UP FOR IT when it finally came! It's completely normal. My pediatrician said that she could have gone up to a week without one...however, I would NOT have let it go that long...
But it's normal for your baby not to have a bowel movement for a few days. Don't worry!
Breastfeeding Help - Let Down Problems
Question
just wondering if anyone has any advice about how to speed up my let-down? over the past few weeks it has been taking me longer and monger to let down. sometimes it takes up to 5 minutes!!!
Answer
Reliable signs of a healthy, functioning let-down include:
In the first week or so, mother may notice uterine cramping during letdown.
Baby changes his sucking pattern from short and choppy (like a pacifier suck) at the beginning of the feeding to more long, drawing, and rhythmic a minute or so into the feeding.
Mother may have a feeling of calm, relaxation, sleepiness or drowsiness.
Mother may have a strong sensation of thirst while breastfeeding.
Baby is swallowing more often. A swallow sounds like a small puff of air coming out the baby's nose and you can usually see the muscle moving in front of the baby's ear, giving the baby the appearance of his earlobes subtley wiggling.
Possible causes of slow let-down
It's quite normal for a mother to have a harder time letting down when pumping than when nursing. The milk may be there, but you may have a hard time letting down and "releasing" the milk. Some mothers also have a let-down which is not functioning properly when baby is nursing.
Many things can be the cause of a slow or inhibited let-down: anxiety, pain, embarrassment, stress, cold, excessive caffeine use, smoking, use of alcohol, or the use of some medications. Mothers who have had breast surgery may have nerve damage that can interfere with let-down. In extreme situations of stress or crisis, the release of extra adrenaline in the mother's system (the "fight or flight" response) can reduce or block the hormones which affect let-down.
Sometimes a cycle is created, where baby fusses and pulls off because the let-down is slow, which makes mom tense up, which makes the let-down even slower, etc. You can use relaxation techniques and let-down cues to break this cycle.
just wondering if anyone has any advice about how to speed up my let-down? over the past few weeks it has been taking me longer and monger to let down. sometimes it takes up to 5 minutes!!!
Answer
Reliable signs of a healthy, functioning let-down include:
In the first week or so, mother may notice uterine cramping during letdown.
Baby changes his sucking pattern from short and choppy (like a pacifier suck) at the beginning of the feeding to more long, drawing, and rhythmic a minute or so into the feeding.
Mother may have a feeling of calm, relaxation, sleepiness or drowsiness.
Mother may have a strong sensation of thirst while breastfeeding.
Baby is swallowing more often. A swallow sounds like a small puff of air coming out the baby's nose and you can usually see the muscle moving in front of the baby's ear, giving the baby the appearance of his earlobes subtley wiggling.
Possible causes of slow let-down
It's quite normal for a mother to have a harder time letting down when pumping than when nursing. The milk may be there, but you may have a hard time letting down and "releasing" the milk. Some mothers also have a let-down which is not functioning properly when baby is nursing.
Many things can be the cause of a slow or inhibited let-down: anxiety, pain, embarrassment, stress, cold, excessive caffeine use, smoking, use of alcohol, or the use of some medications. Mothers who have had breast surgery may have nerve damage that can interfere with let-down. In extreme situations of stress or crisis, the release of extra adrenaline in the mother's system (the "fight or flight" response) can reduce or block the hormones which affect let-down.
Sometimes a cycle is created, where baby fusses and pulls off because the let-down is slow, which makes mom tense up, which makes the let-down even slower, etc. You can use relaxation techniques and let-down cues to break this cycle.
Breastfeeding Help - Growth chart for breastfed babies
These are the new charts that will either replace or go along side the ones used in the read books eventually. The ones in the red books that the HVs use were designed in the 70's when formula feeding was very popular in comparison to breastfeeding. As a result many health care professionals recognise that breastfed babies don't put on weight at the same rate - cows milk is designed with muscle and bulk in mind and human milk isn't. So hopefully this will help breastfeeding Mom's to see that their babes are doing fine too!
Girls - 0-6months - Weight for age
Girls - 6 m - 2yr - Weight for age
Boys - 0-6months - Weight for age
Boys - 6 m - 2yr - Weight for age
All the other charts are here
Average Weight Gain for Breastfed Babies
Baby's Age...........Average Weight Gain (1) .................Average Weight Gain (2,3)
0-4 months..........5.5 - 8.5 ounces per week............5 - 7 ounces per week †
4-6 months..........3.25 - 4.5 ounces per week...........4 - 5 ounces per week
6-12 months........1.75 - 2.75 ounces per week..........2 - 4 ounces per week
Girls - 0-6months - Weight for age
Girls - 6 m - 2yr - Weight for age
Boys - 0-6months - Weight for age
Boys - 6 m - 2yr - Weight for age
All the other charts are here
Average Weight Gain for Breastfed Babies
Baby's Age...........Average Weight Gain (1) .................Average Weight Gain (2,3)
0-4 months..........5.5 - 8.5 ounces per week............5 - 7 ounces per week †
4-6 months..........3.25 - 4.5 ounces per week...........4 - 5 ounces per week
6-12 months........1.75 - 2.75 ounces per week..........2 - 4 ounces per week
Breastfeeding Help - 8 weeks old feeding every 2 hours
Question
Does anyone have any advice for getting my 8 week old to sleep longer during the night? A little background, he is up every 2 hours to eat. i have tried getting him to eat more by changing him, etc, but he eats and is done and is back asleep. he has gone for a 4 hour stretch before so i know he can do it. and for about 4 nights he was going every 3 hours, but then now for the passed 3 nights went back to every 2 hours. i'm just exhausted and am considering giving him formula at this point. i don't know what to do. i don't know if i should let him cry? i feel selfish wanting to sleep longer and giving him formula to do so and not giving him what i consider the best.
please help!
Answer
A growth spurt around 2 months is very common. I would not recommend giving formula for two reasons: 1) Contrary to popular belief, formula doesn't help babies STTN. I know BF babies who STTN at 6 weeks, and formula fed babies who didn't STTN at 9 months. 2) your baby is likely increasing your supply to meet his nutritional needs. Introducing formula will interfere with that process and cause you to produce insufficient milk, requiring more formula supplementation.
Now as for helping with the situation - how often is he nursing during the day? how long is he napping? Does he take 3-4 hour naps during the daytime? If so, wake him up after 2 hours and nurse him during the day. Also, try offering the breast every hour in the evening for about 3 hours before his normal bedtime (i.e. if he goes to bed at 8, offer the breast at 5, 6, 7, and 8p). Encouraging cluster feeding in the evenings can help babies sleep longer through the nighttime hours.
Unfortunately, he is too young for any kind of sleep training or cry-it-out methods. If he's crying at this point, it's because he needs something, not just because he can't get back to sleep, so he'll likely keep crying until his needs are met. Pediatric sleep experts are pretty universal in their recommendation to wait until 4 months old before trying the cry it out approach.
A couple other things that might help him sleep. 1) have you tried swaddling? Some babies sleep better when swaddled. I would recommend using a special swaddler such as the miracle blanket or 'the swaddler' because they are less likely to come undone and get bunched around him.
2) have you tried using white noise such as a fan or white noise machine?
3) It's not a great habit to get into, but if you really need the sleep (and it sounds like you do!) have you tried putting him in a swing to sleep? I'd try not to do it too often but right now I would say sleep for you is more important than avoiding the swing. Right now he's really too little to develop bad sleep habits anyway.
Hope this helps and I hope he gets through this growth spurt soon!
Does anyone have any advice for getting my 8 week old to sleep longer during the night? A little background, he is up every 2 hours to eat. i have tried getting him to eat more by changing him, etc, but he eats and is done and is back asleep. he has gone for a 4 hour stretch before so i know he can do it. and for about 4 nights he was going every 3 hours, but then now for the passed 3 nights went back to every 2 hours. i'm just exhausted and am considering giving him formula at this point. i don't know what to do. i don't know if i should let him cry? i feel selfish wanting to sleep longer and giving him formula to do so and not giving him what i consider the best.
please help!
Answer
A growth spurt around 2 months is very common. I would not recommend giving formula for two reasons: 1) Contrary to popular belief, formula doesn't help babies STTN. I know BF babies who STTN at 6 weeks, and formula fed babies who didn't STTN at 9 months. 2) your baby is likely increasing your supply to meet his nutritional needs. Introducing formula will interfere with that process and cause you to produce insufficient milk, requiring more formula supplementation.
Now as for helping with the situation - how often is he nursing during the day? how long is he napping? Does he take 3-4 hour naps during the daytime? If so, wake him up after 2 hours and nurse him during the day. Also, try offering the breast every hour in the evening for about 3 hours before his normal bedtime (i.e. if he goes to bed at 8, offer the breast at 5, 6, 7, and 8p). Encouraging cluster feeding in the evenings can help babies sleep longer through the nighttime hours.
Unfortunately, he is too young for any kind of sleep training or cry-it-out methods. If he's crying at this point, it's because he needs something, not just because he can't get back to sleep, so he'll likely keep crying until his needs are met. Pediatric sleep experts are pretty universal in their recommendation to wait until 4 months old before trying the cry it out approach.
A couple other things that might help him sleep. 1) have you tried swaddling? Some babies sleep better when swaddled. I would recommend using a special swaddler such as the miracle blanket or 'the swaddler' because they are less likely to come undone and get bunched around him.
2) have you tried using white noise such as a fan or white noise machine?
3) It's not a great habit to get into, but if you really need the sleep (and it sounds like you do!) have you tried putting him in a swing to sleep? I'd try not to do it too often but right now I would say sleep for you is more important than avoiding the swing. Right now he's really too little to develop bad sleep habits anyway.
Hope this helps and I hope he gets through this growth spurt soon!
Breastfeeding Help - Breastfeeding past 6 months
Question
I am curious as to the benefits beyond 6 months. I seem to remember reading somewhere that babies get the majority of the benefits the first 6 months after that the benefits are minimal. Is this true? Anyone know?
Answer
There are absolutely benefits to breastfeeding past six months, saving money being the least important. Feeding formula always has risks, however small they may be. Formula is an artificially produced food, developed from dairy or soy by-products, that is then enhanced with corn syrup and other substances to resemble the nutritional (but not immunological or digestive) characteristics in breastmilk. If nursing is going well, there's no reason to consider giving formula from 6 months to a year.
Your baby isn't a toddler yet, but here's some info on nursing past a year:
Nursing toddlers benefit NUTRITIONALLY
* Although there has been little research done on children who breastfeed beyond the age of two, the available information indicates that breastfeeding continues to be a valuable source of nutrition and disease protection for as long as breastfeeding continues.
* "Human milk expressed by mothers who have been lactating for >1 year has significantly increased fat and energy contents, compared with milk expressed by women who have been lactating for shorter periods. During prolonged lactation, the fat energy contribution of breast milk to the infant diet might be significant."
-- Mandel 2005
* "Breast milk continues to provide substantial amounts of key nutrients well beyond the first year of life, especially protein, fat, and most vitamins."
-- Dewey 2001
* In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:
o 29% of energy requirements
o 43% of protein requirements
o 36% of calcium requirements
o 75% of vitamin A requirements
o 76% of folate requirements
o 94% of vitamin B12 requirements
o 60% of vitamin C requirements
-- Dewey 2001
* Studies done in rural Bangladesh have shown that breastmilk continues to be an important source of vitamin A in the second and third year of life.
-- Persson 1998
* It's not uncommon for weaning to be recommended for toddlers who are eating few solids. However, this recommendation is not supported by research. According to Sally Kneidel in "Nursing Beyond One Year" (New Beginnings, Vol. 6 No. 4, July-August 1990, pp. 99-103.):
Some doctors may feel that nursing will interfere with a child's appetite for other foods. Yet there has been no documentation that nursing children are more likely than weaned children to refuse supplementary foods. In fact, most researchers in Third World countries, where a malnourished toddler's appetite may be of critical importance, recommend continued nursing for even the severely malnourished (Briend et al, 1988; Rhode, 1988; Shattock and Stephens, 1975; Whitehead, 1985). Most suggest helping the malnourished older nursing child not by weaning but by supplementing the mother's diet to improve the nutritional quality of her milk (Ahn and MacLean. 1980; Jelliffe and Jelliffe, 1978) and by offering the child more varied and more palatable foods to improve his or her appetite (Rohde, 1988; Tangermann, 1988; Underwood, 1985).
References
Nursing toddlers are SICK LESS OFTEN
* The American Academy of Family Physicians notes that children weaned before two years of age are at increased risk of illness (AAFP 2001).
* Nursing toddlers between the ages of 16 and 30 months have been found to have fewer illnesses and illnesses of shorter duration than their non-nursing peers (Gulick 1986).
* "Antibodies are abundant in human milk throughout lactation" (Nutrition During Lactation 1991; p. 134). In fact, some of the immune factors in breastmilk increase in concentration during the second year and also during the weaning process. (Goldman 1983, Goldman & Goldblum 1983, Institute of Medicine 1991).
* Per the World Health Organization, "a modest increase in breastfeeding rates could prevent up to 10% of all deaths of children under five: Breastfeeding plays an essential and sometimes underestimated role in the treatment and prevention of childhood illness." [emphasis added]
References
Nursing toddlers have FEWER ALLERGIES
* Many studies have shown that one of the best ways to prevent allergies and asthma is to breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months and continue breastfeeding long-term after that point.
Breastfeeding can be helpful for preventing allergy by:
1. reducing exposure to potential allergens (the later baby is exposed, the less likely that there will be an allergic reaction),
2. speeding maturation of the protective intestinal barrier in baby's gut,
3. coating the gut and providing a barrier to potentially allergenic molecules,
4. providing anti-inflammatory properties that reduce the risk of infections (which can act as allergy triggers).
I am curious as to the benefits beyond 6 months. I seem to remember reading somewhere that babies get the majority of the benefits the first 6 months after that the benefits are minimal. Is this true? Anyone know?
Answer
There are absolutely benefits to breastfeeding past six months, saving money being the least important. Feeding formula always has risks, however small they may be. Formula is an artificially produced food, developed from dairy or soy by-products, that is then enhanced with corn syrup and other substances to resemble the nutritional (but not immunological or digestive) characteristics in breastmilk. If nursing is going well, there's no reason to consider giving formula from 6 months to a year.
Your baby isn't a toddler yet, but here's some info on nursing past a year:
Nursing toddlers benefit NUTRITIONALLY
* Although there has been little research done on children who breastfeed beyond the age of two, the available information indicates that breastfeeding continues to be a valuable source of nutrition and disease protection for as long as breastfeeding continues.
* "Human milk expressed by mothers who have been lactating for >1 year has significantly increased fat and energy contents, compared with milk expressed by women who have been lactating for shorter periods. During prolonged lactation, the fat energy contribution of breast milk to the infant diet might be significant."
-- Mandel 2005
* "Breast milk continues to provide substantial amounts of key nutrients well beyond the first year of life, especially protein, fat, and most vitamins."
-- Dewey 2001
* In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:
o 29% of energy requirements
o 43% of protein requirements
o 36% of calcium requirements
o 75% of vitamin A requirements
o 76% of folate requirements
o 94% of vitamin B12 requirements
o 60% of vitamin C requirements
-- Dewey 2001
* Studies done in rural Bangladesh have shown that breastmilk continues to be an important source of vitamin A in the second and third year of life.
-- Persson 1998
* It's not uncommon for weaning to be recommended for toddlers who are eating few solids. However, this recommendation is not supported by research. According to Sally Kneidel in "Nursing Beyond One Year" (New Beginnings, Vol. 6 No. 4, July-August 1990, pp. 99-103.):
Some doctors may feel that nursing will interfere with a child's appetite for other foods. Yet there has been no documentation that nursing children are more likely than weaned children to refuse supplementary foods. In fact, most researchers in Third World countries, where a malnourished toddler's appetite may be of critical importance, recommend continued nursing for even the severely malnourished (Briend et al, 1988; Rhode, 1988; Shattock and Stephens, 1975; Whitehead, 1985). Most suggest helping the malnourished older nursing child not by weaning but by supplementing the mother's diet to improve the nutritional quality of her milk (Ahn and MacLean. 1980; Jelliffe and Jelliffe, 1978) and by offering the child more varied and more palatable foods to improve his or her appetite (Rohde, 1988; Tangermann, 1988; Underwood, 1985).
References
Nursing toddlers are SICK LESS OFTEN
* The American Academy of Family Physicians notes that children weaned before two years of age are at increased risk of illness (AAFP 2001).
* Nursing toddlers between the ages of 16 and 30 months have been found to have fewer illnesses and illnesses of shorter duration than their non-nursing peers (Gulick 1986).
* "Antibodies are abundant in human milk throughout lactation" (Nutrition During Lactation 1991; p. 134). In fact, some of the immune factors in breastmilk increase in concentration during the second year and also during the weaning process. (Goldman 1983, Goldman & Goldblum 1983, Institute of Medicine 1991).
* Per the World Health Organization, "a modest increase in breastfeeding rates could prevent up to 10% of all deaths of children under five: Breastfeeding plays an essential and sometimes underestimated role in the treatment and prevention of childhood illness." [emphasis added]
References
Nursing toddlers have FEWER ALLERGIES
* Many studies have shown that one of the best ways to prevent allergies and asthma is to breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months and continue breastfeeding long-term after that point.
Breastfeeding can be helpful for preventing allergy by:
1. reducing exposure to potential allergens (the later baby is exposed, the less likely that there will be an allergic reaction),
2. speeding maturation of the protective intestinal barrier in baby's gut,
3. coating the gut and providing a barrier to potentially allergenic molecules,
4. providing anti-inflammatory properties that reduce the risk of infections (which can act as allergy triggers).
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