1. Early breast milk is liquid gold - Known as liquid gold, colostrum is the thick yellow first breast milk that you make during pregnancy and just after birth. This milk is very rich in nutrients and antibodies to protect your baby.
2. Your breast milk changes as your baby grows - Colostrum changes into what is called mature milk. By the third to fifth day after birth, this mature breast milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein to help your baby continue to grow.
3. Breast milk is easier to digest - For most babies - especially premature babies - breast milk is easier to digest than formula. The proteins in formula are made from cow's milk and it takes time for babies'stomachs to adjust to digesting them.
4. Breast milk fights disease - The cells, hormones, and antibodies in breast milk protect babies from illness. This protection is unique; formula cannot match the chemical makeup of human breast milk.
1. Life can be easier when you breastfeed - Breastfeeding may take a little more effort than formula feeding at first. When you breastfeed, there are no bottles and nipples to sterilize. You do not have to buy, measure, and mix formula. And there are no bottles to warm in the middle of the night!
2. Breastfeeding can save money - Formula and feeding supplies can cost well over $1,500 each year.
3. Breastfeeding can feel great - Physical contact is important to newborns. It can help them feel more secure, warm, and comforted.
4. Breastfeeding can be good for the mother's health, too - Breastfeeding is linked to a lower risk of these health problems in women, like: Type 2 diabetes, breast and ovarian cancer and postpartum depression.
5. Mothers miss less work - Breastfeeding mothers miss fewer days from work because their infants are sick less often.
To watch a video about the benefits of breastfeeding click here.
For more information on breastfeeding click here.
Breastfed babies generally eat more frequently than formula-fed babies. Newborns usually nurse on their mothers' breasts every 2 to 3 hours; as they become older, feeding times will decrease as your baby's stomach becomes larger.
Formula-fed newborns will eat about every 3 to 4 hours during the first few weeks of life. By the end of the first month, formula fed babies will take at least 4 ounces of formula per feeding. At 6 months of age, baby will take 6 to 8 ounces per feeding.
It's important to watch and learn when your baby is hungry. These signals are called hunger cues. When she wants to eat baby may
- Become more awake
- Put her hands or fingers on or in their mouth
- Make sucking motions, stick out their tongue
- Smack their lips
- Kick or squirm
- Begin rooting (moving jaw and mouth or head in search of your breast)
If baby begins crying, this is usually a late signal that they want to eat. Your baby should also appear satisfied for a couple of hours after each feeding if they are getting enough food.
From months 1 through 4 of life, your baby should gain about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds each month, and grow about 1 to 1 1/2 inches.
Between 4 and 7 months of age, baby will gain 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per month and grow about 2 to 3 inches.
At 1 year of age, the typical child weighs about 3 times their birth weight. Breastfed babies tend to be chubbier than formula-fed babies during the first 4 to 6 months of life. Then breastfed babies usually become leaner than formula-fed babies by 9 months to 1 year of age.
If your baby always seems hungry or doesn't have the appetite that you think they should, talk to your baby's doctor.
