Breastfeeding: Nature's Gift Of Love, Bonding And Health

World Breastfeeding Week 2023: Nature amazes us in many ways, and breastfeeding/ nursing is one of the ways nature has ensured the survival of the human race. If we look deeply at breastfeeding and breastmilk, we will realize how sophisticatedly evolved that system is! Dr Shacchee Khare Baweja, Paediatrician, Lactation Consultant at BLK MAX Superspeciality Hospital, shares that many decades back, when vaccines were not discovered. Infectious diseases were rampant, and breastfed babies' survival rate was significantly higher than babies who did not get human milk, and that's the reason why privileged people hired wet nurses to feed their babies.

Breastfeeding Is Love, Connection, Food, And Immunity All Rolled Into One

When a woman gets pregnant, her body starts preparing for breastfeeding; her pregnancy hormones start preparing her body to breastfeed through the development of her breast glands and duct system.

The early milk or colostrum starts secreting into the breasts by around 16-20th weeks of pregnancy!

As the foetus grows, the maternal body deposits fat at crucial places to nourish the young one after birth.

Once the baby is born and immediately kept on the mother's body, the baby has a fantastic capability to reach to mother's breast and start suckling (provided the birth is at term and is unmedicated ); it's called breast crawling. Baby starts nursing, which releases oxytocin (the love hormone) in the mother's body, causing the uterus to contract and thus facilitating the delivery of afterbirths.

• Again nature has conspired it in a way that the oxytocin released by the baby's suckling in the maternal body causes maternal instinct and love for the baby to awaken in the mother. It also helps in decreasing maternal blood loss post-birth.
• The colostrum or the early milk a baby gets during the initial one to two days, is a miraculous fluid rich in live cells and antibodies that protect the baby in the outside world post-birth.
• Colostrum is energy dense and full of growth factors, thus providing the newborn optimal nutrition.
• The snuggling of mom and baby gives them a further hormone boost, providing them peace and relaxation after the long, arduous birth process.
• Oxytocin hormone released in their bodies is responsible for bonding between the mother and the baby.
• While breastmilk protects babies against infections, allergies, and promotes their brain development, breastfeeding, held close every time it shows signs of distress or hunger, provides the baby with a sense of security, thus fostering a secure emotional attachment to the mom.
• The mother, in turn, benefits because breastfeeding helps control blood loss and get back to the pre-pregnancy self. Breastfeeding not only protects against many kinds of illnesses, including many cancers, but it also is an excellent parenting tool.

Conclusion

The miracles of breastfeeding do not stop at any age; they continue till the time baby keeps suckling. The mother's milk is always customised to the baby's unique needs. "Baby spit backwash" is another unique feature of breastfeeding wherein if a baby is suffering from any infection, the baby's saliva, when coming in contact with the mother's breast, relays information about the illness to the breasts, and the breasts then produce customized immunity against that particular infection!