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Give Your Baby the Best Start in Life, Breastfeed
Elizabeth Catalanotto from Breast Pumps Direct
Why Breastfeed? Well for starters, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for at least the first year of life and as long as desired after that. Plus, breastfeeding is the reference that all alternative feeding methods are striving to duplicate. Breastmilk is after all nature's perfect infant food, and it provides a wide array of benefits to both you and your baby.
Breastfeeding provides many health benefits to your new baby. Breastfed babies have fewer instances of illness because antibodies are passed through a mother's milk to her child. Babies are able to digest breastmilk more easily than formula alternatives so upset stomach and spitting up are less frequent. Additionally as your child grows, your breastmilk will adapt to meet the changing needs of your baby.
There are also quite a few benefits for you to gain as a breastfeeding mother. Through breastfeeding, you and your child are able to bond and create a unique emotional connection.
Breastfeeding is more convenient than formula feeding because it saves you time and money. Breastmilk is free, natural and always available ready to serve.
Your health will also benefit from breastfeeding because the hormones released during nursing help to shrink your uterus back to its pre-pregnancy size and minimize uterine bleeding. Exclusively breastfeeding in the first 6 months suppresses the return of your menstrual periods to give your body more time to fully recover from childbirth. Also breastfeeding reduces your risk of several types of cancers including breast and ovarian.
Mom's Freedom and the Breastfed Baby
Some mothers feel that they will loose their freedom if they decide to breastfeed, but that's not true. Breastfeeding mothers can still spend time away from baby without having to supplement with formula if they express and store their breastmilk ahead of time.
Breastmilk can be expressed with your hands or with a breast pump. A manual breast pump will suffice for most stay at home breastfeeding moms that only need to pump occasionally, but moms that will return to work while breastfeeding may need something a bit more powerful like an electric dual breast pump.
My Pump Recommendation
When I first started breastfeeding, I had an Avent Isis Manual for 'just in case' pumping. It worked really well for me when I needed to prepare a quick bottle for a night with my husband or to go shopping with friends.
However, I soon I realized that my little manual pump probably wouldn't the best choice for frequent pumping when I returned to work. Luckily, Avent came out with an electric pump a few weeks before I began my search. Since I had successfully pumped with my Avent manual I decided to try the electric Avent Isis iQ Duo. It is still fairly new to the breast pump market, but my experience with it has been successful. I think it works for me because I am able to control it like a manual pump (the Avent Isis iQ Duo doesn't have any preset speeds or suctions, you program it with the touch of a button). I would recommend the Avent Duo to any mom who is hesitant about pumping with an electric pump because you decide how it pumps.
This article was contributed by Elizabeth from Breast Pumps Direct Breast Pumps Direct (http://www.breastpumpsdirect.com). As a nursing mother to her 1-year-old daughter and a breastfeeding counselor, she spends a great deal of time everyday thinking, talking and writing about breastfeeding and breastmilk.
Elizabeth Catalanotto from Breast Pumps Direct
Why Breastfeed? Well for starters, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for at least the first year of life and as long as desired after that. Plus, breastfeeding is the reference that all alternative feeding methods are striving to duplicate. Breastmilk is after all nature's perfect infant food, and it provides a wide array of benefits to both you and your baby.
Breastfeeding provides many health benefits to your new baby. Breastfed babies have fewer instances of illness because antibodies are passed through a mother's milk to her child. Babies are able to digest breastmilk more easily than formula alternatives so upset stomach and spitting up are less frequent. Additionally as your child grows, your breastmilk will adapt to meet the changing needs of your baby.
There are also quite a few benefits for you to gain as a breastfeeding mother. Through breastfeeding, you and your child are able to bond and create a unique emotional connection.
Breastfeeding is more convenient than formula feeding because it saves you time and money. Breastmilk is free, natural and always available ready to serve.
Your health will also benefit from breastfeeding because the hormones released during nursing help to shrink your uterus back to its pre-pregnancy size and minimize uterine bleeding. Exclusively breastfeeding in the first 6 months suppresses the return of your menstrual periods to give your body more time to fully recover from childbirth. Also breastfeeding reduces your risk of several types of cancers including breast and ovarian.
Mom's Freedom and the Breastfed Baby
Some mothers feel that they will loose their freedom if they decide to breastfeed, but that's not true. Breastfeeding mothers can still spend time away from baby without having to supplement with formula if they express and store their breastmilk ahead of time.
Breastmilk can be expressed with your hands or with a breast pump. A manual breast pump will suffice for most stay at home breastfeeding moms that only need to pump occasionally, but moms that will return to work while breastfeeding may need something a bit more powerful like an electric dual breast pump.
My Pump Recommendation
When I first started breastfeeding, I had an Avent Isis Manual for 'just in case' pumping. It worked really well for me when I needed to prepare a quick bottle for a night with my husband or to go shopping with friends.
However, I soon I realized that my little manual pump probably wouldn't the best choice for frequent pumping when I returned to work. Luckily, Avent came out with an electric pump a few weeks before I began my search. Since I had successfully pumped with my Avent manual I decided to try the electric Avent Isis iQ Duo. It is still fairly new to the breast pump market, but my experience with it has been successful. I think it works for me because I am able to control it like a manual pump (the Avent Isis iQ Duo doesn't have any preset speeds or suctions, you program it with the touch of a button). I would recommend the Avent Duo to any mom who is hesitant about pumping with an electric pump because you decide how it pumps.
This article was contributed by Elizabeth from Breast Pumps Direct Breast Pumps Direct (http://www.breastpumpsdirect.com). As a nursing mother to her 1-year-old daughter and a breastfeeding counselor, she spends a great deal of time everyday thinking, talking and writing about breastfeeding and breastmilk.
