Breast Feeding and the Postpartum Period

Mar 12 2009

Although the new mother’s milk will not begin to flow for two or more days, her breasts secrete a thick yellow substance called colostrum. Because this fluid contains vital antibodies to help fight infection, the newborn baby should be allowed to suckle.

As a result of recent scientific findings, the American Academy of Pediatrics has strongly recommended that full-term newborns be breast-fed. This recommendation does not mean that breast milk is the only adequate method of nourishing a baby. Prepared formulas can provide nourishment that allows a baby to grow and thrive.

Still, there are many advantages to breast-feeding. Breast milk is perfectly suited to a baby’s nutritional needs. Breastfed babies have fewer illnesses and a much lower hospitalization rate because breast milk contains maternal antibodies and immunological cells that stimulate the infant’s immune system. When breast-fed babies do get sick, they recover more quickly. They are also less likely to be obese than babies fed on formulas, and they have fewer allergies.

When deciding whether to breast-or bottle-feed, mothers need to consider their own desires and preferences. Both feedings methods can supply the physical and emotional closeness so essential to the parent-child relationship.

The postpartum period lasts from four to six weeks after delivery. During this time, the mother’s reproductive organs revert to a nonpregnant state. Many women experience energy depletion, anxiety, mood swings, and depression during this period. This experience, known as postpartum depression, appears to be a normal end-product of the birth process. For most women, the symptoms gradually disappear as their bodies return to normal. For others, the symptoms, coupled with the stresses of managing a new family, can cause more severe depression that lasts for several months.