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Is Breastfeeding for You?
One of the most important decisions you will be making is how to
feed your baby. Here are some facts and information to help you make
an informed and thoughtful choice.
- Nationally, over 75% of mothers and babies leave the hospital
breastfeeding. In the Pacific Northwest, the numbers are closer
to 85%.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the World Health Organization
(WHO) and UNICEF all recommend and endorse breastfeeding as the
best way to feed newborns and infants.
- It is possible to breastfeed and be a working mother, breastfeed
and maintain your modesty in public, breastfeed and still have
the baby's father actively involved in parenting, and breastfeed
and get your figure back. At Mason General
Hospital, we can teach
you about all of these options.
- You'll save over $120 a month, including formula and equipment
costs.
- You do not have to be on a special diet for breastfeeding. You
do want to make sure you drink lots of non-caffeinated fluids every
day. The foods you eat will flavor your milk. Research has shown
that babies enjoy the taste of garlic, and that breastfed babies
are more apt to adjust to new foods in their diets because they
have tasted these foods before in their mother's milk.
- Most mothers who breastfeed longer than several months find regaining
their figure and ideal weight is easier than it is for mothers
who formula-feed.
- Breast milk is the perfect food for human newborns, and it can
not be artificially manufactured. Breast milk contains hundreds
of nutrients, immune factors and antibodies to infection, hormones
and growth factors. The Infant Formula Act passed in 1980 specifies
just over 40 of the components in breast milk that need to be in
infant formula.
- The antibodies and anti-infectives found in breast milk protect
breastfed babies from illness.
Some Health Benefits of Breastfeeding for the Baby:
- Greatly reduced incidence of vomiting and diarrhea
- Reduced respiratory and ear infections
- Reduced incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- Higher cognitive (intelligence) test scores
- Reduced incidence of severe allergies and asthma
- If breastfed longer than 6 months, reduced incidence of insulin-dependent
diabetes and childhood lymphomas
Some Benefits for the Breastfeeding Mother:
- Reduced incidence of premenopausal breast cancer and ovarian
cancer (the more months of breastfeeding in life, the lower the
risk)
- Reduced risk of heavy postpartum bleeding or hemorrhage
- Reduced risk of osteoporosis
While in the Hospital:
Mason General Hospital nursing staff will help
you and your baby learn how to breastfeed. For some babies it is
easy. Others struggle at first, but it is very rare for a baby and
mother to not be able to learn how to work together for successful
breastfeeding.
Some common issues we can help you with are: working with flat or
inverted nipples, getting a good "latch" to reduce or eliminate nipple
soreness, and learning feeding cues and cues that tell you the baby
is satisfied. We can give you phone numbers and referrals for help
and advice after discharge from hospital. Several of our nursing
staff are certified lactation consultants. We want to be a source
of support for you as you encounter well-meaning but conflicting
advice from friends and family, or have questions such as "is the
baby getting enough?"
If you choose to formula-feed, please know that we will support
you in your choice and will help you with questions and concerns
you may have about feeding your baby. If you are "on the fence" with
your decision, you might just try breastfeeding. Even a short time
can give the baby some extra immune factors, and it is easier to
stop nursing than to wish you had started.
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Father/Partner -
unlimited visiting hours
Family and friends -
routine hospital visiting hours: 8:00 am - 8:30 pm
All visitors should be healthy!
Telephone
Shelton:
360-426-1611
Belfair:
360-275-8614
Location
901 Mtn. View Dr
Shelton WA 98584
Postal address
PO BOX 1668
Shelton WA 98584
Oakland
Bay Pediatrics
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
8:00am to 5:00pm Telephone
360-426-3102
Some Benefits for the Breastfeeding Mother:
- Reduced incidence of premenopausal breast cancer and ovarian
cancer (the more months of breastfeeding in life, the lower the
risk)
- Reduced risk of heavy postpartum bleeding or hemorrhage
- Reduced risk of osteoporosis
Nationally, over 75% of babies leave the hospital
breastfeeding. In the Pacific Northwest, the numbers are closer
to 85%.
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