The ‘Milky’ Way
For a new born baby, breast milk is the primary source of nutrition. It is one of the most effective ways to build a child's long-term health and immunity. It is nutritious, pure and complete. Breastfeeding is a must for the first 6 months of a baby’s life. It is universally recognized that there is no formula that can equal breast milk.
Benefits for the baby:
It is uniquely tailored to meet all nutritional needs for growth and development. Breast milk keeps the baby hydrated and provides them with the required carbohydrates, proteins and fats for growth, energy and weight gain.
It is the child's first inoculation against diseases and also their most enduring investment - physical, cognitive and social capacity.
Breastfeeding contains antibodies which build immunity, helps protect against many childhood diseases and can reduce risks of chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, asthma and childhood obesity.
Benefits for the mom:
Releases hormones like Prolactin and Oxytocin which helps you relax and promotes a sense of fulfillment, love and attachment. It can also lower the risk of postpartum depression.
- It can help in burning lots of calories and lose weight.
- Lowers the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancers and other infections
Breast feeding is convenient, risk free and cost effective!
Nutrition is key:
Breastfeeding and taking care of the baby is an exciting but exhausting process that might keep you on your toes all the time, but remember that your health as a lactating mother is also very important.
Importance: Nutrition plays a crucial role in the amount and quality of milk produced but also impacts the post-delivery recovery of the mother. Hence it is very important to eat a nutrient dense and have a varied diet.
Essentials: Nutrients include carbohydrates, fats, protein, fibre, minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, folic acid and vitamin A & E. Since breast milk is produced from protein and calcium from your diet or stored in your body, it is especially important to increase your intake of these two nutrients.
Variety: Eating a variety of foods will change the flavour of your breast milk. This will expose your baby to different tastes, which might help the baby to easily accept solid foods down the road.
Stay hydrated: Breast milk is made mostly of water. Drinking adequate water is very important to avoid dehydration, constipation and decrease in milk supply.
Avoid: Smoking, alcohol, caffeine and excess stress.
Checkout these tailor-made products like Lactating Mothers' powder, Coconut Ragi Bars, Bone Health Booster or the Rose Amaranth Granola which are suitable for the mother created with no refined sugar or preservatives right here.
COVID19 situation:
These unprecedented times have taught us to prioritise our health and immunity. What we eat makes or breaks our immunity.
According to UNICEF, COVID19 has not been found in the breast milk of infected mothers and hence mothers should continue breastfeeding while ensuring good hygiene practices and taking necessary precautions:
Wearing a mask while feeding
Washing hands with soap before and after touching the baby
Wiping and disinfecting surfaces in contact with the baby regularly
If you're concerned about your diet or you're breastfeeding with a particular health issue or complications, talk to an experienced nutritionist. A nutritionist can give you a more detailed analysis of your diet and help design a nutritional plan for your individual situation.
- Tanvi Kulkarni
(Tanvi, our guest blogger, is a freelance nutritionist and dancer)
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