Women’s Health Blog

If you’ve every been pregnant or if you are pregnant
now, you’ve probably noticed a metamorphisis in your
bra cups. The physical changes (tender, swollen
breasts) may be one of the earliest clues that you
have conceived. Many experts believe that the color
change in the areola may also be helpful when it
comes to breast feeding.

What’s going on
Perhaps what’s even more remarkable than visible
changes is the extensive changes that are taking
place inside of your breasts. The developing
placenta stimulates the release of estrogen and
progesterone, which will in turn stimulate the
complex biological system that helps to make lactation
possible.

Before you get pregnant, a combination of supportive
tissue, milk glands, and fat make up the larger
portions of your breats. The fact is, your newly
swollen breasts have been preparing for your
pregnancy since you were in your mother’s womb!

When you were born, your main milk ducts had already
formed. Your mammary glands stayed quiet until
you reached puberty, when a flood of the female
hormone estrogen caused them to grow and also to
swell. During pregnancy, those glands will kick
into high gear.

Before your baby arrives, glandular tissue has
replaced a majority of the fat cells and accounts
for your bigger than before breasts. Each breast
may actually get as much as 1 1/2 pounds heavier
than before!

Nestled among the fatty cells and glandular tissue
is an intricate network of channels or canals known
as the milk ducts. The pregnancy hormones will
cause these ducts to increase in both number and
size, with the ducts branching off into smaller
canals near the chest wall known as ductules.

At the end of each duct is a cluster of smaller
sacs known as alveoli. The cluster of alveoli is
known as a lobule, while a cluster of lobule is
known as a lobe. Each breast will contain around
15 – 20 lobes, with one milk duct for every lobe.

The milk is produced inside of the alveoli, which
is surrounded by tiny muscles that squeeze the
glands and help to push the milk out into the
ductules. Those ductules will lead to a bigger
duct that widens into a milk pool directly below
the areola.

The milk pools will act as resevoirs that hold the
milk until your baby sucks it through the tiny
openings in your nipples.

Mother Nature is so smart that your milk duct
system will become fully developed around the time
of your second trimester, so you can properly
breast feed your baby even if he or she arrives
earlier than you are anticipating.

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The nutritional requirements for the baby will rely
soley on the breast milk, and therefore the mother will
need to maintain a healthy diet. If the baby is
large and grows fast, the fat stores gained by the
mother during pregnancy can be depleted quickly,
meaning that she may have trouble eating good enough
to maintain and develop sufficient amounts of milk.

This type of diet normally involves a high calorie,
high nutrition diet which follows on from that in
pregnancy. Even though mothers in famine conditions
can produce milk with nutritional content, a mother
that is malnourished may produce milk with lacking
levels of vitamins A, D, B6, and B12.

If they smoke, breast feeding mothers must use
extreme caution. More than 20 cigarettes a day has
been shown to reduce the milk supply and cause vomiting,
diarrhoea, rapid heart rate, and restlessness in
the infants. SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is
more common in babies that are exposed to smoke.

Heavy drinking is also known to harm the imfant, as
well as yourself. If you are breast feeding, you
should avoid alcohol or consume very small amounts at
a time.

The excessive consumption of alcohol by the mother can
result in irritability, sleeplessness, and increased
feeding in the infant. Moderate use, normally 1 – 2
cups a day normally produces no effect. Therefore,
mothers that are breast feeding are advised to avoid
caffeine or restrict intake of it.

By following a healthy diet and limiting your intake
of the above, you’ll ensure that your baby gets the
right nutrients during your time of breast feeding.
This stage of life is very important – as you don’t
want anything to happen to your baby.

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Because more and more women are choosing to breast
feed their babies, more and more are also finding
that they enjoy it enough to continue longer than
the first few months they planned on. Breast
feeding to 3 – 4 years of age is common in much
of the world recently, and is still common in
many societies for toddlers to be breast fed.

Because mothers and babies often enjoy to breast
feed, you shouldn’t stop it. After six months,
many think that breast milk loses it’s value -
which isn’t true. Even after six months, it
still contains protein, fat, and other important
nutrients which babies and children need.

The fact is, immune factors in breast milk will
protect the baby against infections. Breast
milk also contains factors that will help the
immune system mature, and other organs to develop
and mature as well.

It’s been shown and proven in the past that
children in daycare who are still breast feeding
have far less severe infections than the
children that aren’t breast feeding. The mother
will lose less work time if she chooses to
continue nursing her baby once she is back to
work.

If you have thought about breast feeding your
baby once he gets passed 6 months of age, you
have made a wise decision. Although many feel
that it isn’t necessary, breast milk will always
help babies and toddlers. Breast milk is the
best milk you can give to your baby.

No matter what others may tell you, breast feeding
only needs to be stopped when you and the baby
agree on it. You don’t have to stop when someone
else wants you to – you should only stop when
you feel that it’s the right time.

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Jaundice is a result of buildup in the blood of the
bilirubin, a yellow pigment that comes from the
breakdown of older red blood cells. It’s normal
for the red blood cells to break down, although
the bilirubin formed doesn’t normally cause jaundice
because the liver will metabolize it and then get
rid of it in the gut.

However, the newborn baby will often become
jaundiced during the first few days due to the
liver enzyme that metabolizes the bilirubin becoming
relatively immature. Therefore, newborn babies
will have more red blood cells than adults, and
thus more will break down at any given time.

Breast milk jaundice
There is a condition that’s commonly referred to
as breast milk jaundice, although no one knows
what actually causes it. In order to diagnose it,
the baby should be at least a week old. The baby
should also be gaining well with breast feeding
alone, having lots of bowel movements with the
passing of clean urine.

In this type of setting, the baby has what is
referred to as breast milk jaundice. On occasion,
infections of the urine or an under functioning
of the baby’s thyroid gland, as well as other
rare illnesses that may cause the same types of
problems.

Breast milk jaundice will peak at 10 – 21 days,
although it can last for 2 – 3 months. Contrary
to what you may think, breast milk jaundice is
normal. Rarely, if at all ever, does breast
feeding need to be stopped for even a brief
period of time.

If the baby is doing well on breast milk, there
is no reason at all to stop or supplement with
a lactation aid.

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Once you’ve given birth, breast feeding is the single
most important thing you can do to protect your baby
and help to promote good health. Best of all, breast
feeding is free.

Along with saving you money on HMR (Human Milk
Replacement), breast feeding can also help you to
keep your medical bills down. Babies that are fed
with formula get sicker more often and more seriously
than babies that are breast fed They also have more
ear infections, respiratory infections, and other
problems.

This can be even more true if your family has had a
history of allergies. When a baby is breast fed, the
antibodies pass on from the mother to the baby,
helping to protect against illness and allergies. As
the baby’s system matures, his body will begin to
make it’s own antibodies, and he’ll be more equipped
to handle sensitivities of food.

Sucking on the breast will also help with the
development or jaw alignment and the development of
the cheekbone. For this very reason, there is less
of the need for costly orthodontic work when the
child gets older.

Unlike formula, breast milk is always ready, always
available, convenient, and always the right temperature
for feeding. Plus, it contains all of the vitamins
and minerals your growing baby needs, saving you a
lot of money.

Breast feeding also offers many benefits for the mom
as well. The baby sucking at the breast will cause
contractions right after birth, leading to less
bleeding for the mom, and helping her uterus to it’s
shape before pregnancy much faster.

Breast feeding will also burn calories, so a mom can
lose weight much faster than if she fed her baby with
a bottle. Breast feeding will also create a special
bond with the mother and the baby – which is one
thing formula simpy cannot do.

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Many women find that they can eat whatever they may like during breast feeding. Even though it’s true that some stongly favored foods can change the taste of your milk, many babies seem to enjoy the varieties of breast milk flavors. Occasionally, your baby may get cranky at the breast after you eat certain foods. If you notice this happening, simply avoid that particular food.

The most common offenders duing breast feeding include chocolate, spices, citrus fruits, garlic, chili, lime, gassy vegetables, and fruits with laxative type effects, such as prunes and cherries.

You can have a cup or two of coffee a day, although too much caffeine can interfere with your baby’s sleep and even make him or her cranky. Keep in mind, caffeine is found in many soda’s, tea, and even over the counter type medicine as well.

It’s okay to have an alcoholic beverage every now and then, although having more than one drink can increase your blood alcohol level, putting the alcohol into your breast milk.

If you are planning to have more than one drink at a time, it’s best to wait two hours or more per drink before you resume any type of nursing or breast feeding. There is no need to pump and dump unless your breasts are full and its time to feed your baby. While breast feeding, any type of heavy drinking should be avoided.

Before you actually omit any foods from your diet, you should talk to your doctor. If you avoid certain foods and it causes a nutritional imbalance, you may need to see a nutritionist for advice on taking other foods or getting nutritional supplements.

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