World Breastfeeding Week: 1st to 7th August. Every year, the first week of August is celebrated as World Breastfeeding Week. It strives to raise awareness of breastfeeding’s critical role. Celebrating motherhood’s marvel and breastfeeding’s power,” said Amrita Mitter, Director of Golf View Healthcare & Research Institute.”
Breastfeeding creates the groundwork for a healthy and solid relationship between a woman and her infant by focusing on emotional connection and nutrition. Even though breastfeeding is a long-established practice, many myths persist about it. Here are the top 5 misunderstandings about breastfeeding that we will dispel today.
Myth 1: Breastfeeding Is So Easy to be Done
Both women and newborns require time, encouragement, and practice to breastfeed successfully. Given that nursing takes time, mothers want assistance and room at both their place of employment and their home. Even though babies are born ready to latch onto their mothers’ breasts, many women require practical assistance to place their infants for nursing and to ensure that the infant is latched correctly to the breast.
Myth 2: Wash Nipples Before Breastfeed Your Child
Although washing your nipples before nursing is unnecessary, maintaining care for them is highly important. Nipples’ little bumps, known as Montgomery glands, secrete oil that keeps them moisturized and safe. In fact, removing this natural oil with cleansers and gels can irritate and dry up the skin.
Myth 3: If you don’t fee for long hours, breastmilk is spoiled
One of the most widespread misconceptions about breastfeeding holds that if a mother does not feed her infant for eight to ten hours, the breast milk will spoil. One reason why many working mothers choose not to breastfeed their children is due to this.
Breast milk is fresh when given to a newborn and will never go wrong, according to Dr. T. Vijayakumar, head of the pediatrics department at Prashanth Hospital in Velachery.
Myth 4: If You are Sick, Never Breastfeed Your Baby
As antibodies are transmitted to the infant during feeding, which protects the baby from illness, a mother should continue nursing even if she has an infection such as a fever, cough, or cold. Additionally, it will strengthen the infant’s defences. However, moms who have diseases like Tuberculosis (TB), Covid-19, or HIV should seek advice on feeding from a lactation specialist or other experts.
Myth 5: New Mom Needs 1800 Calories Daily
Many fallacies surround the diet of new mothers, who are frequently advised to eat plain and uncomplicated cuisine while they are nursing. Dr. Vijayakumar emphasized the need for a mother to eat a balanced diet. “Many moms are forbidden from eating specific foods, especially ones that are thought to cause gastrointestinal upset, including chicken and potatoes. To produce milk properly, a mother has to consume a minimum of 1800 calories per day from her diet, which should include high-quality protein, according to him.
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