The birth of a baby is a time filled with excitement, joy and maybe even a little trepidation but in the midst of all this excitement, you may face a decision about whether or not to breastfeed your baby. If your personal circumstances allow it, breastfeeding will provide your little one with the best start to life nutritionally and will also bring other important benefits to mum and baby. Indeed, breastfeeding will meet all of your baby’s nutritional needs for around the first six months of life. In Australia, The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recommends that infants are breastfed exclusively for around the first six months of life to achieve optimal health, growth and development, but adds that any amount of breastmilk is beneficial to a mother and her baby. The NHMRC also says that when solid foods are introduced gradually at around six months of age, breastfeeding should continue until 12 months and beyond and for as long as the mother and baby pair desire. As there is so much information to wade through when a new baby joins the family, we thought we would take the time to explain a little bit about breastfeeding.

There are various benefits to a lactating mother associated with breastfeeding. It provides a convenient and inexpensive source of food and fluid for your baby that does not need any preparation or storage and which is always available. Breastmilk delivered from the breast is always at the right temperature and is safe to consume anywhere, anytime and without the need to sterilise bottles. The regular close interaction and skin-to-skin contact during breastfeeding also encourages a close mother-infant bond. Breastfeeding also helps the uterus contract back to normal size, helps to regain pre-pregnancy body weight and is also associated with a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

If mum is breastfeeding and remains amenorrheic, this can also preserve maternal iron stores and so improve maternal iron status, as well as provide a method of natural birth control during the first months following birth (of course, seek advice about contraception to cover the first months following birth from a qualified medical practitioner). For more information on breastfeeding advice, visit the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) website and a book published recently called ‘The Newborn Baby Manual’ by Renee Kam.

Breastfeeding your little one will give them the best start during their first year of life, when growth is greater than at any other time across the lifespan. The benefits of breastfeeding to your baby include such things as improving visual, psychomotor and cognitive development. Breastmilk also contains many factors that help your little one to settle, protect him or her against infection and support development of the innate immune system. Several studies have also shown that the risk or severity of a number of health conditions are reduced in breastfed babies, including gastrointestinal infections.

One of the unique factors of breastmilk is that it not only changes within one feed but also during the course of lactation, to reflect a baby’s needs. The first ‘breastmilk’ is called colostrum, which is a protein and essential fatty acid rich, yellowish and thick fluid produced during late pregnancy and during the early days after birth. Although it is only produced in small amounts, its protein content is very high and it is rich in antibodies (immune system proteins), which are important for infection protection. Colostrum is also a rich source of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A and E and minerals.  Due to these benefits, it is recommended that if possible, a baby receives colostrum rather than infant formula at this time.

Around day three or so after a baby’s birth, a mothers’s milk ‘comes in’ and changes to a thinner whiter appearance.

Once a mother’s milk has ‘come in’ and a mother’s breasts begin to feel firmer and fuller, at the start of the feed a baby receives milk that is lower in fat and calories and is thirst quenching. As the feed progresses and the breast drains, the baby receives milk that is high in fat and calories.

Breastmilk is nutritionally complete because it contains all the nutrients a baby needs during the first six months of life, including fat, carbohydrate, protein, vitamins, minerals and water to help your baby grow, develop and reach their full potential. Many of the nutrients in breastmilk are absorbed and used easily by your baby. All of this makes it nature’s perfect first food for a new baby’s developing body.