5 Simple Reasons to Breastfeed

Today marks my 5^th month of exclusive breastfeeding. Exclusive means no formula milk, no water, no solids, nothing else but breast milk. I decided to write something about breastfeeding because this will be the last month that my baby will be exclusively breastfed. We visited the doctor today and she gave a go signal to introduce semi solids next month. Meaning Elisse will be able to taste other healthy food aside from my milk. Yey!

Whether you’re a first time or seasoned mom, the popular advice that you get is to feed your baby with your own milk. It may sound easy and exciting but… let’s see.

So you’ve successfully delivered your baby… you feel her first latch and doesn’t hurt at all. Come the first week of your breastfeeding, you find yourself awake the whole night because of your baby’s constant whimpering.  You feel tired and frustrated when you feel that she’s not getting enough milk from you. Your back is in extreme pain because you can’t find the right position to nurse. Not to mention the cracked, sore and even bleeding nipples. All of these are happening while your body is still recovering from a 9-month hardship there was.

Thinking of quitting nursing too soon? Here’s why you shouldn’t:
  
1. Breastfeeding helps you lose weight. This is probably number one in your to-do list – to trim those lbs down to your pre-pregnancy weight. You used to be a 120-pounder with 25-inch waist line but now you see the hand of the weighing scale going way over the 120, 130 or even 150 mark! Plus the flabby & saggy tummy. Good news is breastfeeding lets you blow 500 calories out a day. Believe it or not, it’s like a 45-minute workout without bending your knees with those dumbbells. 
  
2. Breastfeeding is economical. According to the computing website thesimpledollar.com, it costs around a whopping $1,800 to formula feed an average baby for the first year of life. And the cost of breast milk - ZERO.

3. Breastfeeding is convenient. May it be at the mall, hospital, park, almost everywhere, you can nurse your baby when you are out and about. Just with your nursing cover, you’re always on the go. You don’t have to worry about bringing bottles and spilling out the milk while preparing it. 

4. Breastfeeding creates a bond between you and your baby. Your baby feels secure when her skin touches yours. The warmth of your body gives her the familiarity of you being around all the time.

 5. Breastfeeding makes your baby healthier. Pediatricians strongly recommend breast milk because of nutritional benefits it provides. It protects your baby against infections & other diseases and it boosts the immune system. I’m glad to say that Elisse has smoothly overcome the side effects of her vaccines. And I firmly believe that it is because of her strengthened immune system brought by breastfeeding.

These are only few pros of breastfeeding - the reasons why you have to endure the challenges during the early days of it. There may be “unreasonable cons” such as limited drinking and partying, limited time traveling alone, limited time with other people, limited workouts and the like. But guess what, you only have at least 2 years to nurse, and the rest of your life to drink and be merry.

Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find a hundred more reasons why you should keep going.

I know that breastfeeding moms will understand this more than anyone else will --- it makes a momma proud of herself when she reaches five months of exclusive breastfeeding. Just imagine how she’ll feel after 2 years of doing it. =)

Milky Mom,

Trisha