Breastfeeding can be hard for mothers, it can be painful, frustrating, and overwhelming. In this post we’re going to talk about the benefits of breastfeeding for mom and baby, as well as give resources to help find more information about breastfeeding.

Breast Milk is 87% water, 7% lactose, 3.8% fat, 1% protein, along with vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and more nutrients.⁴ With all these nutrients, breast milk has everything the baby needs to grow and be healthy.

There are three types of breastmilk, colostrum, transition milk, and mature milk. Colostrum is produced at the end of pregnancy and has all the essentials a newborn needs in the first few days of life, such as proteins and immune components. Transition milk is produced around 5-14 days after the baby is born, the milk is now decreasing in proteins and immune components and increasing in carbohydrates and fats. Mature milk is when mothers start to produce more milk as their baby is growing and in need of more.⁴

Benefits

Breastfeeding has both long-term and short-term benefits.⁴

Benefits for mom:

• Lessens postpartum bleeding⁴
• Can be a natural contraceptive⁴
• Can lessen the likelihood of breast, ovarian, and cervical cancer⁴
• Can lessen the change of obesity, heart disease and diabetes⁴

Benefits for baby:

• Reduces risk of infection diseases⁴
• Lowers chance of chronic diseases like asthma, obesity, diabetes, etc.⁴
• Healthier eating habits in the future²
• Higher intelligence²

Challenges

Breastfeeding can have many challenges. Many women suffer from sore nipples, clogged milk ducts, breast infections, low milk production, or the baby has a hard time latching. Here are some helpful tips when having challenges breastfeeding.

Sore Nipples

• Change the positioning of your baby to easy pain³
• Wear cotton bras to avoid rubbing³
• Keep your nipples moisturized ³

Low milk supply

• Stay hydrated³
• Breastfeed more often to stimulate milk production³

Clogged milk duct

• Use warm compresses on the breast³
• Massage the breast while breastfeed³
• Soak the breast in warm water several times a day³

Breast infections

Thrust: Thrust is a yeast infection that is on the mother’s nipple and the baby's mouth.¹
Mastitis is a bacterial infection on the nipple.¹
Consult your doctor for treatment with breast infections.


Latching issues

Here is a video with tips to help with latching issues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JboAZfhjws


Additional Resources

There are also several books, websites, and podcasts available that have additional information.


Take your time with breastfeeding. Practice patience with yourself and know that you and baby will get it down!

Sources

1. Common breastfeeding challenges and how to fix them. Banner. (n.d.).                                                               https://www.bannerhealth.com/healthcareblog/advise-me/7-common-breastfeeding-challenges-                 and-how-to-solve-them

2. Couto, G. R., Dias, V., & Oliveira, I. de. (2020). Benefits of Exclusive Breastfeeding: An integrative review. Nursing Practice Today. https://doi.org/10.18502/npt.v7i4.4034

3. Health, A. I. W. (2023, January 20). 6 common breastfeeding problems and solutions. Associates In Womens Health | OBGYN Omaha, NE. https://awhomaha.com/blog/6-common-breastfeeding-problems-and-solutions/#:~:text=Solutions%20to%20Low%20Milk%20Supply,enough%20rest%2C%20and%20avoid%20alcohol.

4. Panjkota Krbavčić, I., & Vukomanović, A. (2021). Breastfeeding: Health benefits and dietary recommendations. Hrvatski Časopis Za Prehrambenu Tehnologiju, Biotehnologiju i Nutricionizam, 16(1–2), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.31895/hcptbn.16.1-2.1