When infants are born, mothers are encouraged by medical providers more than ever before to attempt breastfeeding. This is because breast milk is one of the most nutritious components of an infant’s diet when it can be regularly received. Although not all mothers can provide milk, those who can may be able to give their child a development advantage. Mothers who can afford it may even look for alternative supplies to supplement the diet of their infant as it grows. Here are some interesting facts to think about when it comes to modern breastfeeding.
1. More Valuable Than Oil
Breast milk is so popular today that it can be sold if a mother is producing an excess supply of milk. It can even be frozen [although it can’t be thawed and then re-frozen a second time] so shipping breast milk becomes feasible. There’s a market for purchasing breast milk online for mothers who want to do breastfeeding, but might not be able to do so. It’s so popular, in fact, that the going rate for breast milk is more than 250x the going rate for oil on any given day.
2. It’s an Instinctive Process
The breast milk that a mother produces is 100% unique. This helps to forge a bond between mother and infant and encourage the instinctive feeding process. Infants have been proven to be able to identify their mothers solely on the smell of their breast milk. Newborns who are held to a mother’s skin after being born can even instinctually make their way to begin breastfeeding when they are hungry. When they do this, there’s a good chance that they’ll head toward the right breast. That’s because most women produce more milk through their right breast than the left.
3. Breast Structure Doesn’t Matter
The size of a mother’s breasts has no bearing on how much milk she will be able to produce. The same is true for the size and shape of the nipple. Even mothers who have breast implants can typically still breastfeed. The one thing that does tend to take mothers by surprise when they are breastfeeding for the first time is that milk doesn’t just come out of one hole on the nipple. It can spray out of several different holes, so it is important to know the nipple so that breastfeeding can be effective as often as possible.
4. An Immune System Booster
Breastfeeding naturally passes on a mother’s immunities to her child. Although this doesn’t apply for vaccinations, it does help a child to boost its own immune system so it can fight off some of the common bugs that infants might catch. Common colds are reduced through breastfeeding, as are ear infections, bacterial meningitis, and other infections, like of the urinary tract.
It’s not just a short-term benefit either. Adults who were breastfed as an infant also have lower overall risks of disease development, including asthma, Crohn’s disease, leukemia, and even diabetes. Just because an infant is bottle fed doesn’t mean that they’ll have this conditions and a breastfed child will not. It just means that breast milk helps to provide people with long-term care solutions that no other substance can really provide.
5. It Saves Money Everywhere
Formula is a pretty expensive proposition. For just one child, the price of formula over the course of a year can be upwards of $4,000, even with coupons and subsidies being used. Mothers who breastfeed their children exclusively can save all of that cash and put it toward other needed items – like diapers. For mothers who have twins, the amount of savings will double. Even when the costs of pumping, breast milk supplies, and storage are considered, when compared to formula, families are going to save lots of money.
The ongoing savings are also remarkable. Children who are breastfed have lower risks of cavities and have a reduced chance of needing braces when they grow up as well.
6. Mothers Benefit Just As Much
Mothers who are breastfeeding have a number of health benefits that come with the practice. There is a reduction in the risks of breast cancer, while postpartum depression effects are immediately reduced as well. Breastfeeding also helps mothers physically heal from the effects of giving birth and lowers the amount of blood loss that happens in the days and weeks after giving birth. Mothers who breastfeed for 8 years actually have nearly a 0% risk of developing breast cancer.
Breastfeeding also helps mothers return to their pre-pregnancy rate much more quickly. Breast milk typically has a 1,000 calorie per day production cost associated with it. The mother’s body will dip into the extra energy reserves it stored up during pregnancy to produce this milk when not enough calories are present. Mothers who breastfeed also sleep about an hour longer than mothers who do not, so there’s plenty of incentive to do it.
7. Breastfeeding Changes Over Time
The milk that a mother is able to produce changes over time. Mothers will automatically change the nutritional content of the milk that is being produced so that their child gets everything that they need to continue growing. Although many mothers tend to begin weaning their children off of breast milk around 6 months of age, the benefits of continuing breastfeeding to the first birthday or even longer may help a child’s physical and mental development progress more quickly.
Mothers can even sense how warm or cool an infant is and change the temperature of their breast milk to accommodate. On hot days, mothers include more water in with the breast milk so children stay better hydrated.
Breastfeeding has always been a nature part of life. Technology allows for formula to replace this when necessary, but the benefits of breast milk are profound. This is why all mothers are encouraged to at least try breastfeeding after birth.