Benefits of breastfeeding

The World Health Organization recommends that, in the first 6 months of life, babies should be exclusively breastfed without any other food or drink. From the 7th month onwards, babies should be given complementary foods, while breastfeeding as much as possible.

Medical staff perform breast massage to stimulate milk production for mothers after cesarean section at Dong Nai General Hospital.

Wishing you all the best

Five months ago, Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Minh (residing in Tam Hiep ward, Dong Nai province) gave birth to her second child, five years after her first child. Since giving birth, Ms. Minh has exclusively breastfed her child, without using formula.

Ms. Minh confided: During her first birth, due to lack of experience in stimulating milk production, even though she gave birth naturally, it was not until the 6th day after giving birth that she had enough milk to breastfeed her baby. Due to inadequate nutrition combined with work pressure, by the 6th month, Ms. Minh no longer had enough milk to breastfeed her baby. Therefore, the baby girl grew up with many disadvantages, often getting sick due to poor resistance.

Learning from her first birth experience, this time, Ms. Minh and her husband researched many ways to help mothers produce more milk and stimulate milk production before birth. Therefore, when the baby was born, he was breastfed with colostrum from his mother.

“Currently, my breast milk supply is still abundant, and my baby cannot finish it all, so I often use a breast pump to pump milk and store it in the refrigerator. I no longer have my old job but run a home business, so I hope to continue breastfeeding until my baby is 3 years old and goes to daycare” - Ms. Minh
said.

Also wishing her child to breastfeed for as long as possible, Ms. Hoang Thu Hoai (residing in Tan Trieu ward, Dong Nai province) shared: In the days after giving birth, she ate nutritious food, performed breast massage services, and rested comfortably to produce more milk. Regarding housework, Ms. Hoai said: She will arrange a reasonable time to breastfeed and ensure the best possible things for her child.

During breastfeeding, mothers should limit the consumption of spices such as chili, onion, garlic because they can cause unpleasant odors in the milk, making the baby refuse to breastfeed. When breastfeeding, you should limit the use of drugs because some drugs can pass through the milk, causing poisoning to the baby and reducing milk production. The use of drugs must be consulted by a doctor.

Help children have better resistance

Specialist Doctor I Tran Thi Nhu Hoa, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dong Nai General Hospital, said: Breastfeeding brings many benefits to both children and mothers. Breast milk is a perfect source of nutrition, containing enough protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and especially natural antibodies to help children increase their resistance, preventing many infectious diseases such as: diarrhea, respiratory infections, otitis media. In the first days after birth, colostrum rich in mother's antibodies will help the baby fight diseases better.

According to Dr. Hoa, in addition to nutrition, breastfeeding also creates a very special emotional bond between mother and child. When the mother holds the baby in her arms, has skin-to-skin contact and looks into the baby’s eyes, the baby will feel safe and loved, thereby stimulating brain development.

For mothers, breastfeeding helps the uterus contract faster, reduces the risk of postpartum hemorrhage, supports energy consumption, and helps regain natural shape sooner. Many studies have shown that women who breastfeed for a long time reduce the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and osteoporosis later in life.

The baby is breastfed immediately after birth at Dong Nai General Hospital. Photo: Hanh Dung

Not only that, breastfeeding also helps save costs compared to using formula milk, and contributes to environmental protection because there is no waste from packaging and bottles.

The World Health Organization recommends that babies should be breastfed within one hour of birth, exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life, and continue breastfeeding with appropriate complementary feeding until the child is 24 months old or older. This is the most precious gift a mother can give her child from the very first days of life.

Although breast milk has many benefits, not all mothers have enough milk to breastfeed their babies.

Ms. Pham Thu Huyen (residing in Tran Bien ward, Dong Nai province) confided: After 6 months of maternity leave, she went back to work for a company. Due to the nature of her job, which involves working shifts and sometimes overtime, Ms. Huyen did not have much time to spend with her child. Therefore, the number of times she breastfed her child during the day also gradually decreased since she returned to work. By the 8th month, Ms. Huyen no longer had milk to breastfeed her child, forcing her to feed her child with formula milk.

“Even though I know that formula milk is not as good as breast milk, I have no other choice. I hope that the company will soon deploy breast milk storage cabinets and have a separate space for postpartum mothers to express and store milk to bring home to their children after work,” Ms. Huyen suggested.

To maintain breast milk supply, Dr. Hoa recommends that mothers need to implement many solutions at the same time. First, the mother must eat a full and balanced diet, drink enough water, rest properly, and keep a comfortable spirit. It is necessary to breastfeed the baby properly, at the right time and regularly. The family, especially the husband, plays a very important role in supporting and sharing housework so that the mother has time to take care of herself and her baby. On the part of the work unit, it is necessary to create conditions and arrange a suitable space for the mother to be able to express and store milk when returning to work, ensuring a continuous milk supply for the baby.

Hanh Dung

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/y-te/202508/loi-ich-cua-nuoi-con-bang-sua-me-b8d2835/