Let's Breastfeed

Breast milk – Every drop counts

For some, it is easy to think of breast milk as just milk but it is so much more. It is a living fluid bursting with healing properties that no other substance can better provide for your baby. I am sure you have heard about many of the components of breast milk already, but I feel that it is important to realize just how important every drop of breast milk is.

Whilst breastfeeding comes easily for many mums, there are mums who struggle to nurse their little ones and often feel that moving onto formula will be a lot simpler. Well, this is not necessarily true. You see, the more breast milk your baby has, the better developed and stronger his immune system will be.

Your baby will slowly start developing immunity of his own, but whilst his little system is so new, he really relies on your breast milk to help protect him. As you live in the same environment and are exposed to the same bugs, you are best able to produce exactly what he needs at exactly the right time.

Think of it in a way that every time you give your baby breast milk, you are actually giving him a booster shot, a booster shot that will benefit him for life. The amazing thing is that this booster is constant, regardless of how high or low your milk supply is. As your milk supply decreases, the concentration of immune factors get higher, similar to levels found in milk just after birth.

It is therefore expected that the more breast milk your baby has, the healthier he will be. However, even if you have started supplementing, continuing with breastfeeding or expressing, will still benefit your baby. Breastfeeding is a great way to support the development of your baby’s immune system, until he is better able to produce more of his own anti-bodies.

It is for this reason that I feel mums who choose to breast feed for long periods, should be supported. Whilst we live in a first world country, have modern medicine and all the rest that people throw at them, breast milk continues to provide invaluable elements that no other food can.

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