Mama Tips
On Motherhood and Parenthood: BREASTFEEDING
Mar
Let’s get Touchy About Motherhood and Parenting.
Motherhood and parenting, as we all know and from personal experience, is a journey and half at best. While the 1000-day journey is what we throw our all into, there are those topics we still consider touchy or sensitive and we would very much love to be trusted on our choice.
My two boys are all grown up now however, I can’t help but wonder if topics such as – to breastfeed or bottle feed, circumcise or not, choice of baby name, discussing birth experience, boy or girl, crying/colic/ fussy baby are still as sensitive as they were to me some years back.
Over the next couple of posts, I am going to try and talk about some of these sensitive issues. It is also important that we exchange ideas, thoughts and feelings around this topic and I will appreciate your honest thoughts as well.
I cannot stress enough the importance of using this platform to exchange ideas and maybe learn something new.
Breastfeed or Bottle feed:
So as to meet their nutritional requirements for growth and development, you will have to breastfeed or bottle/Formula-feed; although there is a plethora of evidence that supports breast milk as the optimal method for your baby’s required growth and development due to its composition, bottle or Formula-feeding are also great options and no one should be judged on the choice they make.
I have always believed mothers/parents know best and their choices should be respected. I also agree that ‘Being Fed’ is the best choice.
I breastfed both my boys until past their first year each and I recall friends asking how I could keep this up especially with working all hours in the NHS, those moments soon after I returned from maternity leave with breast milk seeping through my uniform, to nanny calling me at work that my baby boo would not settle down or drink breast milk from a bottle! And don’t get me started on moments on the train or in the park when the little men wanted a feed!
Nevertheless, nothing beats the feeling, nothing. I adore the eye-to-eye contact with their chubby fingers touching your nose or just pulling your hair, oh and the cheeky smile even as they suckle is priceless.
If I have managed to convince you to choose breastfeeding, it is great to remember some important facts.
- The quality of your milk is mostly determined by what you eat and drink. While your body will take from your store of nutrients if your diet is not great, what you’ll notice is that this is likely going to be at your own expense.
- Try and enrich your milk micro nutrient profile by eating foods rich in Selenium, Iodine, Vitamin D and Omega 3.
- Include the following in your daily intake: 5 Rainbow portions of fruits and vegetable, wholegrain carbs, Calcium rich foods such as cheese, yoghurt, protein.
- Vegetarian / Vegan mothers can breastfeed provided foods include variety with adequate amount of vitamins and minerals such as Zinc, Iron and Vitamin B12.
- In general, you can burn between 250 – 500 calories with breast feeding, this need to be considered when you breastfeed and adding up to 400 calories from the variety suggested above should make up for the loss. It is also important to remember that taking more than this can contribute to weight gain.
FOODS TO AVOID
Although occasional drinking has been found to be less likely to harm your baby, remember this can still get into your breastmilk, so avoid binge drinking or regular alcohol intake.
Next week, I will share some ideas and thoughts on bottle feeding and mixed feeding.
I hope you have a great weekend.
