Breastfeeding during school for students

Breastfeeding exclusively in the period of schooling for young girl mothers is not a bed of roses. How can a young girl continue breastfeeding during school? Tips and more will be given in this article alongside the advantages of breastfeeding.

Set every August for the first seven days of the month, World Breastfeeding Week aims to highlight the huge benefits that breastfeeding can bring to both the health and welfare of babies, as well as a wider push for maternal health, focusing on good nutrition, poverty reduction and food security. The event is organised every year by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), a global network that aims to protect, promote and support breastfeeding around the world. Along the way, it works with the World Health Organization and Unicef to get its aid to the right people in the right communities. World Breastfeeding Week begins each year on the 1st August and runs right through until the 7th.

In the period of schooling, young girl mothers should use a breast pump and squeeze out breast milk and put in a clean feeding bottle for the baby. The milk should be stored in the fridge and when it is time to feed the baby, the milk should be put in warm water for a few minutes before feeding the baby. Also, before  going to school, breastfeed the baby well and during short breaks and long breaks, the young mother should rush home and breastfeed the baby.

This is because breast milk provides ideal nutrition for babies. Most healthcare professionals recommend exclusive breastfeeding for at least 6 months. Breast milk contains everything a baby needs for the first 6 months of life, in all the right proportions. Its composition even changes according to the baby’s changing needs, especially during the first month of life. Breast milk contains important antibodies. Breast milk is loaded with antibodies that help your baby fight off viruses and bacteria, which is critical in those tender, early months. This particularly applies to colostrum, the first milk. Colostrum provides high amounts of immunoglobulin A (IgA), as well as several other antibodies. It may reduce your baby’s risk for many illnesses and diseases.

• Breastfeeding promotes healthy weight gain and helps prevent childhood obesity.
• Breastfeeding may make children smarter. This difference may be due to the physical intimacy, touch, and eye contact associated with breastfeeding as well as nutrient content.

Breastfeeding also has health benefits for the mother. Some of the benefits are ;

• Breastfeeding may help you lose weight. You may have heard this one often. While some women seem to gain weight during breastfeeding, others seem to effortlessly lose weight.
• Breastfeeding helps the uterus contract. During pregnancy, your uterus grows immensely, expanding from the size of a pear to filling almost the entire space of your abdomen. After delivery, your uterus goes through a process called involution, which helps it return to its previous size. Oxytocin, a hormone that increases throughout pregnancy, helps drive this process.
• Breastfeeding reduces your disease risk. Breastfeeding seems to provide you with long term protection against cancer and several diseases. The total time a woman spends breastfeeding is linked with a reduced risk for breast and ovarian cancer.