Breastfeeding

Why Breast Milk is best It helps protect the baby against: – Diarrhea – Cough – Colds – Malnutrition – Other common illnesses There is no need to prepare breastmilk It is always available at no cost It helps babies grow up with close bond to their mother It is easy to digest It is clean and has the right temperature Helps delay a new pregnancy

Composition of Breast Milk – Colostrum The initial yellowish fluid that comes out from the breast in the first 2-3 days after birth It is good for babies and helps to protect them against infection Contains a lot of proteins – Mature Milk Milk produced after a few days Increase in quantity of milk and the breasts feel full, hard and heavy – Foremilk Produced early in a feed Provides plenty of protein and lactose – Hindmilk Produced later in a feed Looks whiter since it contains more fat

Important Points When the baby is 6 months old, start giving other food in addition to breastmilk Continue to breastfeed sick babies A sick mother can still breastfeed her baby Breastfeeding mothers should eat nutritious food to become stronger

Expressing Breast Milk Why is this useful? – Leave breast milk for a baby when his mother goes out or goes to work – Feed a low birth weight baby who cannot breastfeed – Feed a sick baby, who cannot suckle enough – Keep up the supply of breast milk when a mother or baby is ill – Prevent leaking when a mother is away from her baby – Help a baby to attach to a full breast – To help with breast health conditions such as engorgement

Preparing a container for Expressed Breast Milk (EBM) – Choose a cup, glass, jug or jar with a wide mouth – Wash the cup in soap and water – Pour boiling water into the cup and leave it for a few minutes. Boiling water will kill most of the germs. – When ready to express milk, pour the water out of the cup.

How to express breast milk – Place a finger and thumb each side of the areola and press inwards towards the chest wall – Press behind the nipple and areola between your finger and thumb – Press from the sides to empty all segments

Danger Signs Sore Nipples – Causes This is more common in mothers who have short nipples This may develop when the baby bites on the nipple – Prevention In women with short or inverted nipples, squeeze the nipples several times a day Breast Abscess

Latching

Positions