I've been a mother to a lovely & healthy child for more than 9 months now, there's one important
recipe that keep both of us so close. I breast feed my baby even up to now. Besides all the health benefits that have been researched and published, I find that the bonding between the mama & the baby has a big role here. I enjoy every moment when we spend intimately, the privacy we have.. just me & my baby..
The only time when I can share and express to him how much I Love Him. And normally he'll held me close and start to complain of his dissatisfaction with his very own language. We sing, we exchange glances, we smile to each other...most importantly we feel loved. Especially now that he's more interactive, each moment became the highlight of the day for me. I don't wanna miss any of it. In fact, I would like it to stay this way in a long long time. It feels like u are falling in LOVE
again.
So, mummies out there, consider to breast feed your baby even more than 6 months, then u'll understand and can feel what I felt now. Cheers..
Here's an interesting acticle that i snipped from "THE STAR" to share with u..
IT begins at birth. Our very first act after birth is to suck our mother’s ... milk. This is an act of affection, of compassion. Without that act, we cannot survive. That’s clear? That’s the way of life. That’s reality. – Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, The Art of Happiness A Handbook for Living.
This year’s World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) theme further emphasises the importance of breastfeeding. In a study recently published in Pediatrics in 2006, babies who started to breastfeed in the first hour of life in rural Ghana were more likely to survive the neonatal period than those who did not. Babies who did not start breastfeeding until after 24 hours from birth were 2.5 times more likely to die than babies who did.
“In a world where more than 10 million children die before their fifth birthday due to preventable causes, and where malnutrition is still rampant and associated with over half of all childhood deaths, there is simply no time to waste. Let’s start with the first hour,” said Dr Margaret Chan, Director General of World Health Organization.
An examination of 37 countries, covering some 60% of the developing world population, by the Bellagio Child Survival Group, published in Lancet in 2003, has revealed an increase in the rates of exclusive breastfeeding from 34% to 41% in the first six months of children’s lives.
Some studies even suggest an additional 1.3 million children would be saved annually if this rate were increased to 90%, while neonatal mortality would be reduced by 22% when children are breastfed within an hour of birth.
The remarkable first hour of life
When healthy infants are placed skin-to-skin on their mother’s abdomen and chest immediately after birth, they exhibit remarkable capabilities.
They are alert. They can crawl, stimulated by mother’s gentle touch, across her abdomen, reaching her breast. They begin to touch and massage the breast. This first gentle touch of a baby’s hand or head at the breast stimulates release of maternal oxytocin, thus beginning both the flow of milk and enhancing the feelings of love for the baby.
Then the baby smells, mouths and licks the mother’s nipple. Finally, he or she attaches to the breast and feeds. This sequence of events is important for the survival of human young.
Why is skin-to-skin contact after birth and breastfeeding within the first hour of life so important
1. The mother’s body helps to keep the baby appropriately warm, which is especially important for small and low birth weight babies.
2. The baby is less stressed, calmer and has steadier breathing and heart rates.
3. The baby is exposed first to the bacteria from the mother which are mostly harmless, or against which the mother’s milk contains protective factors. The mother’s bacteria colonise the baby’s gut and skin and compete with more harmful bacteria from health providers and the environment, and so prevent them from causing infection.
4. The baby receives colostrum for the first feeds – liquid gold, sometimes called the gift of life. Colostrum is rich in immunologically active cells, antibodies and other protective proteins. Thus it serves as the baby’s first immunisation. It protects against many infections. It helps to regulate the baby’s own developing immune system. It contains growth factors, which help the infant’s intestine to mature and function effectively. This makes it more difficult for micro-organisms and allergens to get into the baby’s body
Colostrum is rich in vitamin A, which helps protect the eyes and reduce infection. It stimulates the baby to have bowel movements so that meconium is cleared quickly from the gut. This helps get rid of the substances in the baby’s body that produce jaundice and therefore may help reduce it
5. Touching, mouthing and suckling at the breast stimulates oxytocin release – this is important for many reasons:
# Oxytocin causes the uterus to contract. This may help delivery of the placenta and reduce maternal bleeding after the birth.
# Oxytocin stimulates other hormones which cause a mother to feel calm, relaxed, and some would say “in love” with her baby.
# Oxytocin stimulates the flow of milk from the breast.
6. Women experience incredible joy with this first meeting of their child! And fathers often share this delight. The process of bonding between mother and baby begins.
