THE PRECIOUS POWER OF BREASTFEEDING. By Julia Belard
Why breastfeed? Because our baby deserves it. Because the power of breast-feeding it is precious and unique. And because it strengthens the mother-baby relationship.
Contrary to what was my own conviction before becoming a mother and the opinion of the people closest to me, I have been breastfeeding Matias for 18 months. I can assure you that it was one of the best decisions I've ever made, even though I went through some very difficult times.
There will be important reasons for a mother not wanting to breastfeed (or even not being able to do so) but I believe that the reasons for doing so are stronger, looking at breast milk as the best food we can give our baby and, in my opinion, as a reassuring both for the mother and the baby.
Breastfeeding is one of the first major challenges in this odyssey that is motherhood and one of the first lessons we learn is to resist and persist – two key words for any Mother.
Point number one to encourage any Mom who has doubts, fears or difficulties in the breastfeeding process: find a CAM (breastfeeding counselor – a kind of milk fairy) who will advise and accompany you. The contact with other Mothers and the follow-up done by professionals specialized in this area were, without a doubt, a great help for me.
With the possibility that exists today of joining groups on social networks, related to motherhood in general and breastfeeding itself, clarifying doubts and sharing moods with other Mothers, greatly facilitate this process and were, many times, my salvation.
Point number two: let the Oxytocin pump.
You may have already heard about the hormone that takes us to the clouds – Oxytocin. What not everyone knows is that this hormone accompanies us from the moment we are «generated».
It is also as a stimulus for the release of breast milk, that Oxytocin plays a key role – when visual and tactile stimuli are emitted, in addition to sucking, Oxytocin flows into the bloodstream, resulting in the release of milk. That's why it's so important to strengthen this relationship by looking at our baby, smelling it and caressing it.
Point number three: resist and persist. Remember?
When we are mothers, we realize that, in fact, there will be many adventures, starting with pregnancy, going through the postpartum period and ending with our children's adolescence (I hope so, at least that's what they tell us).
And the first battle is that of breastfeeding , often accompanied by the dreaded and painful rise in milk.
Difficult days are approaching but, following some indications and, if necessary, resorting to monitoring, they will pass quickly and, with the most practical tool of motherhood – memory loss – soon we will not remember anything.
I know some Mothers for whom the breastfeeding experience was not a good one, others who never even had that opportunity or who were forced to interrupt the process for some force majeure reason. I don't think they should blame or suffer. I just believe in the importance and power of breastfeeding when possible, knowing it's what's best for our baby. And also, a wonderful and absolutely unforgettable experience, which only us women are lucky enough to experience.
Some tricks to deal with rising milk:
- Place towels soaked in very hot water over the breast;
- Place hot water bags;
- During the shower, massage the area for a long time with very hot water in circular movements starting from the armpit;
- Apply cold (a cold cabbage leaf, for example), after having emptied the breast;
- Apply ointment on possible cracks;
- Rest as much as possible;
- Strengthen the immune system through good nutrition and fluid intake;
- In case of an infection (mastitis) with symptoms such as fever, chills and body aches, contact the doctor (there are antibiotics compatible with breastfeeding);
- Do not stop breastfeeding during mastitis.
By Julia Belard
