Successful Breastfeeding

Successful Breastfeeding
by Jane C. Van Nort, IBCLC

Even the federal government recognizes the importance of breastfeeding. House Bill 3531, known as the New Mothers Breastfeeding Promotion and Protection Act, has five key measures
1. Ensures that breastfeeding is protected under civil rights law;
2. Provides tax credit for employers who set up lactation rooms and/or provide equipment and/or counseling;
3. Grants working moms unpaid breastfeeding (pumping) breaks of up to an hour a day;
4. Requires the FDA to develop minimum standards for breast pumps; and
5. Expands support for WIC's breastfeeding promotion and education programs. Sixteen states, including Texas, protects, by law, the mother's right to breastfeed in public.

Choosing how you will feed your new infant is an important decision every mother must make. Breastfeeding offers the most protection from illness and infections, enhances intellectual and neurological development, and reduces the incidence of insulin dependent diabetes, childhood cancers, allergies, Crohns disease, and ulcerative colitis.

Breastfeeding enhances the bonding between mom and baby. Skin to skin contact and frequent holding during breastfeedings provide comfort and security to your baby. This first strong loving bond developed between mom and baby is the foundation for the baby to reach out and love others. The maternal hormones released during breastfeeding, oxytocin and prolactin, stimulate nurturing behavior and help to relax mom.

The Academy of Pediatrics in their 1997 Statement on Breastfeeding states that breastmilk is the perfect infant food and recommends breastfeeding continue for at least the first year of the baby's life. Addition of solid foods is not advised until the baby is 6 months old. Remember, the decision for when to wean should be decided by mom and baby, not friends, grandparents, or others. As pediatrician, Dr. William Sears states, "One of the wisest investments you can make into the health and well being of your child is to encourage breastfeeding for as long as both members of the nursing pair are willing and able."

Editorial provided by Jane C. Van Nort, IBCLC of Health Education and Lactation Consultants in Houston, Texas.