Many women prefer bottle-feeding their babies to breastfeeding, due to their professional commitments, observes the Mauritian Association for the Promotion of Breastfeeding and Infant Nutrition (MAPBIN) as well as health experts. They advise mothers to breastfeed their babies during the first weeks following child birth.
As long as the mother breastfeeds her baby, her organism will continue to produce milk. Dr Aruna Surnam from the Ministry of Health and Bina Bonomally, advisor at MAPBIN, point out that even working mothers can give their milk to their babies. They can always extract breast milk and preserve it at cold temperature in a bottle. The milk can thus be fed to the baby at a later time and can also be warmed or given at the same temperature.
Dr Surnam explains that mother’s milk is the healthiest form of milk for babies and is ideal for babies thanks to its nutritional value. Mother’s milk is rich in protein, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and antibodies which help to fight microbes. It is also rich in fats which are very
good for brain development and its nervous system.
Mother’s milk contains lymphocytes and macrophages which helps to fight infections, adds the doctor. Also, there is less risk for the baby to develop breathing problems, inflammation of the ears, obesity and child cancer.
The mother also benefits from breastfeeding. For instance, breastfeeding helps the mother to lose the accumulated fat during pregnancy. Moreover, studies have shown that the mother runs less risk of developing breast cancer or ovarian cancer and is less likely to be a victim of baby blues – a temporary depression after child birth.
Furthermore, hormones released during breastfeeding help to strengthen the maternal bond. The Ministry of Health advocates exclusive breastfeeding for the baby’s first six months of life, and continued breastfeeding complemented with appropriate foods up to two years old and beyond.
The mother must have a balanced diet while breastfeeding her child. For example, advises Dr Surnam, if the mother exaggerates on fatty foods, her milk will become excessively rich in fats, increasing the child’s risk of becoming obese. She further discourages the mother to smoke (active and passive) or drink alcohol during breastfeeding.
Dr Surnam insists that it is essential to start breastfeeding the baby as early as possible to enhance production: “there are two hormones which favour this production: oxytocin and prolactin. However, there is no need to breastfeed the baby every two to three hours but when the baby expresses the need,” she says.
Dr Surnam explains that mother’s milk is the healthiest form of milk for babies and is ideal for babies thanks to its nutritional value. Mother’s milk is rich in protein, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and antibodies which help to fight microbes. It is also rich in fats which are very
good for brain development and its nervous system.
Mother’s milk contains lymphocytes and macrophages which helps to fight infections, adds the doctor. Also, there is less risk for the baby to develop breathing problems, inflammation of the ears, obesity and child cancer.
The mother also benefits from breastfeeding. For instance, breastfeeding helps the mother to lose the accumulated fat during pregnancy. Moreover, studies have shown that the mother runs less risk of developing breast cancer or ovarian cancer and is less likely to be a victim of baby blues – a temporary depression after child birth.
Furthermore, hormones released during breastfeeding help to strengthen the maternal bond. The Ministry of Health advocates exclusive breastfeeding for the baby’s first six months of life, and continued breastfeeding complemented with appropriate foods up to two years old and beyond.
The mother must have a balanced diet while breastfeeding her child. For example, advises Dr Surnam, if the mother exaggerates on fatty foods, her milk will become excessively rich in fats, increasing the child’s risk of becoming obese. She further discourages the mother to smoke (active and passive) or drink alcohol during breastfeeding.
Dr Surnam insists that it is essential to start breastfeeding the baby as early as possible to enhance production: “there are two hormones which favour this production: oxytocin and prolactin. However, there is no need to breastfeed the baby every two to three hours but when the baby expresses the need,” she says.
