It’s National Breastfeeding Month!
It’s National Breastfeeding Month!
By: Jasmine Reed
Do you remember how you felt when your little one(s) entered this world? So many emotions, right? What about when it came time to feed them, for the first time? Did you feel as if you had adequate lactation support, so that you could provide your little one with the proper nutrition to help them grow healthy and strong? This is one of the many conversations had during the month of August, which was declared National Breastfeeding Month, back in 2011. Every year, organizations, coalitions and individuals commemorate the cause with month-long campaigns, advocating for change in breastfeeding policies and practices. In doing so, the goal is to raise awareness and increase support, so that mothers who choose to breastfeed have the necessary resources to do so, successfully.
Whether you choose to nourish your child through breastfeeding or formula, that’s completely up to you. However, studies do show that there are several short and long-term health benefits for both mother and child, if one decides to go the breastfeeding route. According to cwsglobal.org, a few of those benefits for the child include: proper brain development, gut regulation and reduced risk of obesity. For the mom, some benefits include reduced risk of iron deficiency, lower cancer rates and the release of oxytocin during breastfeeding, which increases bonding between mother and child.
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the infant’s first six months, and then coupling that with appropriate complementary foods from six months to two years old, or longer. Though that’s ideal, the reality is that rarely happens. In a 2014 Huffington Post article, the author states that only 16 percent of mothers who choose to breastfeed are successful in their efforts. They go on to say, “lack of breastfeeding support leads mothers to stop early and deprives infants of a foundational health benefit.”
If you or anyone you know has struggled with breastfeeding, we wanted to introduce you to a free and convenient resource to help you along your journey. Created by pediatrician, Dr. Jonathan Goldfinger, the latchME app is your one-stop shop for pretty much all your lactation support needs. As stated on their website, “latchME collects, shares and promotes breastfeeding-supportive resources in the hopes of inspiring everyone to collectively help mothers.” Resources you can expect to find on the app include nearby feeding-friendly places, video tutorials, a directory of local lactation professional, Safe Human Milk Banks and more! You can even chat with other moms and get their insight, too. It’s completely free and can be downloaded in the App Store or Google Play.
When it comes to parenthood, there’s so many things that can make you feel inadequate, but it’s so awesome to have resources such as latchME to empower you along the way. We hope this post was helpful and gave you some new insight surrounding breastfeeding. Be sure to share this post with a friend! Also, if you want to learn more about National Breastfeeding Month, be sure to check out these articles below:
http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/nbm
https://www.nwica.org/blog/ways-to-promote-breastfeeding-all-month#.XVcC-ONKiM8