When it comes to the health of your baby
\nMothers make many important decisions each and every day, but perhaps the most important decision a mother can make is the one to breastfeed, giving her child the very best start in life.
\nExclusive breastfeeding is recognized worldwide as the healthiest choice for both mother and baby. It not only improves infant nutrition and promotes child development, but improves maternal health as well.
\nThere is simply no denying that breast milk is nature’s perfect food; it’s packed with nutrients and antibodies to protect against illness, it’s easy to digest, it’s ready anywhere, anytime, and it’s absolutely free.
\nStudies show that babies who are not breastfed are at increased risk for:
\n\u00b7 Bacterial and viral infections.
\n\u00b7 Developing obesity.
\n\u00b7 Sudden infant death syndrome.
\n\u00b7 Developing ear infections and serious lower respiratory tract infections.
\n\u00b7 Developing asthma, lymphoma, leukemia, and diabetes.
\nEvidence also suggests that women who do not breastfeed take longer to lose the weight gained during pregnancy and are at increased risk of developing Type II Diabetes, Ovarian Cancer and Breast Cancer.
\nFor all of these reasons, the Mid-Michigan District Health Department (MMDHD) highly encourages mothers to breastfeed exclusively (no other foods or drinks) until their baby is six months old and continue when other foods are introduced at six months of age. This will provide continued protection from bacteria and viruses, adequate nutrition, feelings of comfort and security, and a way to reconnect with the mother if she must return to work.
\nWhile most women are well aware of the benefits of breastfeeding, some may be a little nervous, not knowing what to expect. The following tips can help make those first few weeks a little less overwhelming:
\n\u00b7 Learn all you can so you are better prepared.
\n\u00b7 Ask your doctor for help.
\n\u00b7 Choose a supportive pediatrician and ask if a lactation consultant is available.
\n\u00b7 Get support from family and friends, especially those who have breastfed.
\nMMDHD also has a team of breastfeeding Peer Counselors who provide Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clients with support, information, and one-on-one consultations as needed.
\n“Breastfeeding makes such a significant contribution to the health, development and emotional well-being of children,” said Dr. Robert Graham, MMDHD Medical Director. “One simply can’t ignore the fact that when it comes to feeding newborns the breast is best.”
\nMid-Michigan District Health Department serves the residents of Clinton, Gratiot and Montcalm Counties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When it comes to the health of your baby<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24560\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}