Benjamin Franklin once said, “ An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. This is also true with breastfeeding. Proper latching (with the baby’s tongue down and nipple deep into the baby’s mouth where the hard and soft palate meet) can avoid trauma. Proper latching ensures that nursing should be comfortable and painless. […]
Prolactin and oxytocin are the two major hormones involved in breastfeeding and have amazing effects on your body as well as your psyche. High levels of prolactin stimulate the breast to produce milk. When breastfeeding exclusively, the high levels of prolactin suppress ovulation and help provide contraception, especially during the first several months. Oxytocin is […]
With good breastfeeding habits and techniques mom is usually able to produce more than adequate amounts of breast milk. There are, although, occasions when she will need to turn to medications to improve milk production and it is important that she understand the benefits and potential problems which have been associated with them. Reglan (Metoclopramide) […]
Over the past 15 years there have been numerous studies that have shown positive effects on the intellectual development of children who were breast fed. Most of the studies compared breast fed children with those who were not. In several different studies, breast fed children scored higher on intellectual testing as early as age 3 years of age and into their teens. Most of the studies also […]
A routine question I ask my patients at their postpartum visit is “are you resting and getting enough sleep?”; something I stress before they go home from the hospital. It is easy to determine if they are resting enough just by looking at them. Asking this question is important, so that I can re-emphasize the […]
It is such a heartwarming feeling to see you return for your post delivery visit and witness the love and concern that you feel for your newborn baby. It continually amazes me how in tune a mother is with her child; it is truly a thing of beauty. There are so many things to think […]
Several studies following children from ages 3-5 years old and longer indicated that the children of mothers who breastfed exclusively weighed much less than those that were bottle fed. It’s fascinating to me that these findings have been consistent in studies from several countries including Germany, England, Japan and the U.S, beginning as early as […]
The very make up of breast milk is amazing! It contains all the important ingredients to provide for a healthier happier baby. Breast milk contains immunoglobulin A and macrophages which coat the intestines, keeping unwanted bacteria from being absorbed as well as giving the baby a stronger immune system to fight off infection. Breast milk also […]
Although there are mixed results from numerous studies, the majority of studies show that mothers who breastfeed regularly lose the weight they gained during pregnancy at a faster rate than those mothers that breastfeed part time or don’t breast feed at all. I have found that my breast feeding moms tend to lose their pregnancy […]
Emotional bonding can be achieved in different ways. Breast feeding certainly plays an important role in improving the bond between mother and baby, although, it is not necessarily the only effective means of mother-baby bonding. To start, there are a number of studies which show the advantages of skin to skin contact between mother and […]
