In today's mind your body under The Straits Times, Singapore, there was this article on Baby & Child - Mum's milk calms. For the benefit of those who have yet read about the good points, let me summarize what the researchers say:
- Breast-fed kids handle stressful situations better later on in life.
- Its calming effects seem to be long-lasting, even years after being weaned.
- There is less of an association between parental divorce and separation and childhood anxiety.
- Breast milk is full of nutrients, hormones, enzymes, growth factors and antibodies that are passed from mother to child.
- Breast-feeding reduces infections, respiratory illness and diarrhoea in the child.
- It also cuts the risk of after-birth bleeding in the mother.
As a mother of 4 myself, I had breast-fed all of them (from 1 to 3 months). Besides those points mentioned above, you may also consider the following tips:
- It is a good way to slim down. By the end of 3 months when I went back to work, I could wear 50% of my clothes (did not go for any slimming course).
- For the period that I breast-feed, I save on milk powder cost.
- During the same period, I only need sterlize bottles for water supplements.
- Somehow, you feel the bond between you and your baby is stronger.
My children were generally cheerful babies when they were young. After a good nap, they usually greet me with a broad smile when they wake up. I also find that their level of confidence is quite high, e.g. when they went to kindergarten on the first day, they just blend in with the rest of the kids, no crying.
With so many benefits, my advice to mothers-to-be: No harm trying, you have much to gain from breast-feeding.
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