Breast milk is very useful for your baby because it is rich in nutrients, immune substances and bacteria that are good for your child’s digestive system. These useful substances make breast milk yellowish. Different feeding times, ingredients will vary too. And of course, the taste of the milk will change depending on what mother eats.

In addition, breast milk contains important components such as fatty acids, lactose, protein, vitamins, and minerals. These are key nutrients that your baby needs for their proper growth in the first period of life.

Breast milk is first produced since the baby is still in the womb for the mother’s body to prepare and be ready when the baby opens his eyes to see the world. After birth, if the mother’s body is ready, you can start breast feeding immediately without waiting for breast engorgement.

Getting your baby to suckle from the breast is a signal to the mother’s body to start producing milk. Thus, the sooner a mother is breastfeeding after giving birth, the better for breast milk production.

It might surprise you to know that in the beginning, your breast milk changes by the week and each formulation is designed to meet your newborn’s precise needs:

Colostrum. At first, you’re producing a yellowy substance called colostrum. Colostrum helps provide your little one with the nutrients and antibodies he needs to fight infections in the early days. A little goes a long way, so baby only needs a few teaspoons at a time, which might be all you’re producing.

Transitional milk. Three to five days after birth, colostrum is replaced with transitional milk. Just as the names suggests, transitional milk — which looks like a mixture of orange juice and milk — is the stage between colostrum and mature breast milk.

Mature milk. Usually between the tenth day and second week, mature milk finally comes in. It’s white and slightly thinner than transitional milk, resembling watery skim milk, and can appear bluish at first.

Advantages of breastfeeding for mothers

Breastfeeding helps the uterus get back to its normal place and state faster. It also prevents postpartum bleeding. Research shows that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of breast cancer rates. Another important advantage is breastfeeding helps create the bond between mother and the baby. It’s a good time to build a very good mother-child relationship. It is also the most economical way.

Advantages of breastfeeding for the babies

Breastfeeding helps reduce the chances of children being over-nutrient or malnourished. This is because breast milk is full of nutrients and contains substances that act like vaccines that protect your baby from various pathogens, probiotics that stimulate intestinal function and lactose.

Breast milk consists of two parts: the first part that comes out when the baby starts sucking is clear milk called “foremilk”. This part is rich in lactose that helps with excretion. The second part is called “hind milk” which is high in fat. Thus, this part helps make your baby grow and gain weight with age.

Breast milk also helps reduce the risk of diabetes, ear inflammation and digestive tract symptoms for the babies.

It’s important to make sure that you breastfeed your baby in a right position so that the baby can suckle and get fed properly. There are 4 positions for breastfeeding, though, you don’t need to learn all the positions but try to do it and choose only one or two poses that you feel most comfortable with, and your baby can suckle fully.

The important thing you need to know is to make sure that your baby suckles not only the nipple, but also the whole areola.

During breastfeeding, it’s recommended for the mothers to relax and give your body time to adjust. Because of that stress, it will affect the amount of milk. You also need to consume good food that helps enhance the production of breast milk such as banana blossoms, ginger juice, pumpkins, papayas, and drink plenty of water.

You can observe your baby’s reactions including their sleeping time after feeding (at least 2-3 hours), their excretion and urination and the weight that should be growing according to their age.

However, you must note that newborn babies may lose their weight in their first week after birth. And after 7 days, if they are fed properly, their weight should be increasing.

Of course, the fresher the milk is, the better. However, if you need to pump out the milk and store it for later, below shows the period for milk storage.

•  At room temperature (25 degrees Celsius), store up to 3 hours.
• • Freezer in normal refrigerator at 4 degrees Celsius, keep up to 1 day.
• • Freezer: 1 door refrigerator can store no more than 1 month and 2-door refrigerator up to 3 months.
• • Freezer (for ice cream type) store up to about 6 months.

If you intend to provide breast milk for your baby and might be away for periods of time (like going back to work), you will need a breast pump. But you do not necessarily need a breast pump to breastfeed. Breast pumping can be beneficial in a variety of different situations:

•  They can relieve engorgement and prevent mastitis.
• They allow you to provide breast milk when nursing isn't an option due to latching challenges or other complications.
• Pumps give your partner or other caregivers the ability to help with feedings and enhance their bond with baby.
• They help you build and maintain an adequate milk supply.
• They allow you to do other things that require you to be away from baby for a few hours without missing a feeding.
• They make it easier to maintain your breast pumping goals by providing the ability to pump once you return to work.
• Many women enjoy the convenience of breast pumping on the go.
•  Some options weigh less than a pound, so you can simply throw your pump in a bag and go!
• Battery-powered options can be used to pump when no other power sources are available.

If you feel as though breast pumps work in mysterious ways and are complex medical devices, don’t worry mama. You’ve got this. They’re easy to assemble and use!

1. A breast pump emulates a nursing baby by mimicking their natural suckling pattern. As infants nurse, they don't apply constant pressure to the breast. The average baby sucks about 50 to 90 times per minute and slows down once milk is released. An electric breast pump will create this cycle of suction and release by producing one pull per second to initiate milk let down as breast milk begins to flow.
2.  As breast milk is expressed, it collects in a storage container. The containers are gravity fed so the milk that’s released drips downward into them.
3. Breast pumps come with flanges, also known as breast shields, which are funnel-shaped plastic parts that are placed over the nipple and areola to create a seal. The nipple is gently pulled into the flange tunnel to release milk. Make sure you have the correct flange size for pumping success.