Breastfeeding should begin within the first few hours of delivery, if possible, by allowing the baby to rest or nurse, skin-to-skin, on the mother’s chest. During this time, most infants are alert and interested in nursing. However, there is no evidence that it will be more difficult or impossible to breastfeed if the infant cannot nurse within this time period.

In some situations, the infant or mother must be separated for several hours or even days after delivery. Pumping the breasts and then storing the milk for use is recommended to stimulate the continued production of breast milk; this can be initiated as soon as it is safe, optimally within the first 12 hours after delivery.

In the first few days after delivery, the woman produces a small amount of a yellowish milk called colostrum. Colostrum is rich in nutrients and provides all the calories a baby needs for the first few days .

Many women worry that their infant is not getting enough milk immediately after delivery, when only small amounts of colostrum are normally produced. Infants are born with an excess of fluid and sugar stores that they are able to use as the woman’s milk supply increases.

It is normal to produce small amounts of milk in the beginning. With continued frequent breastfeeding, a larger amount of mature milk will be produced within two or three days. Infants normally lose weight during the first few days of life and gradually regain this weight by two weeks after delivery.

For more information about Breast Feeding or about caring for your Newborn Contact Wee Care Pediatrics.

Many women who plan to breastfeed wonder about the best way to prepare. A common myth is that women must “toughen” their nipples, although there is no evidence that this is necessary or helpful.

If the nipples are flat or inverted before delivery, it is occasionally difficult for an infant to latch-on. However, there is no benefit to stretching or treating the nipples before delivery. If needed, a lactation consultant or nurse can provide assistance to women with flat or inverted nipples who have breastfeeding challenges after delivery.

Do I need to buy supplies? — It is not necessary to buy any breastfeeding supplies before delivery. Some women choose to purchase a breast pump, although this is not usually needed until the woman returns to work. If a pump is needed sooner (eg, to pump milk for a premature infant), a hospital lactation consultant or nurse can often help to coordinate this. If a lactation consultant or breastfeeding counselor is not available in the hospital, one can often be located by phone or e-mail.

For more information about Breast Feeding or caring for your Newborn Contact Wee Care Pediatrics and we’ll be happy to help.

There are a number of benefits of breastfeeding, many of which continue even after breastfeeding is discontinued. The benefits for the infant and mother increase as breastfeeding continues. However, even breastfeeding for a short period of time provides some protection.

For Families - Families who breastfeed experience:

•   Reduced infant feeding costs. Infant formula and associated supplies are estimated to cost at least $1000 during the first 12 months.
• Reduced costs related to healthcare, including doctor’s visits, hospital costs, and lost time from work.
• Infants who are breastfed are less likely to become ill and less likely to be hospitalized, reducing the potential costs and anxieties of caring for an ill child.

     Check our next newborn blog article for even more ways to better care for your newborn. You can also call 480-890-2273 or visit our Newborn and Pediatric Website for more information about how to care for your newborn.

     Source: Uptodate 2009 Patient Information

There are a number of benefits of breastfeeding, many of which continue even after breastfeeding is discontinued. The benefits for the infant and mother increase as breastfeeding continues. However, even breastfeeding for a short period of time provides some protection.

For Mothers - Compared to mothers who feed formula, women who breastfeed experience:

•   Reduced blood loss after childbirth as a result of a hormone, oxytocin, which is released into the mother’s bloodstream while breastfeeding. Oxytocin helps the uterus to contract, which reduces uterine bleeding.
• Reduced levels of stress in the mother as a result of several hormones released during breastfeeding.
• Increased weight loss after pregnancy (if breastfeeding continues for at least six months).
• Decreased risk of breast cancer.

     Check our next newborn blog article for the benefits of breast feeding for the Family. You can also call 480-890-2273 or visit our Newborn and Pediatric Website for more information about how to care for your newborn.

     Source: Uptodate 2009 Patient Information

There are a number of benefits of breastfeeding, many of which continue even after breastfeeding is discontinued. The benefits for the infant and mother increase as breastfeeding continues. However, even breastfeeding for a short period of time provides some protection.

For infants - Some of the benefits of breastfeeding for infants include the following:

•   Better digestive tract function and protection from digestive tract infections, such as vomiting and diarrhea.
• A reduced risk of respiratory infections, ear infections, and wheezing.
• Some studies suggest that breastfeeding reduces the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes mellitus.

     Check back next week for the benefits of breast feeding for the mother. You can also call 480-890-2273 or visit our Newborn and Pediatric Website for more information about how to care for your newborn.

     Source: Uptodate 2009 Patient Information

Most national and international groups recommend exclusive breastfeeding without the use of infant formula or other foods or liquids for the first six months, and partial breastfeeding for at least 12 months. Despite the overwhelming evidence in favor of breastfeeding, in the United States, only about 74 percent of women breastfeed immediately after birth and only about 43 percent of women are still breastfeeding at six months.

There are many reasons that women choose not to breastfeed, including embarrassment, lack of knowledge about the benefits of breast milk, belief that formula is equal to breast milk, and myths about the “ease” of formula feeding compared to breastfeeding.

We will be discussing the benefits of breastfeeding in our next newborn Blog. Contact Wee Care Pediatrics in Mesa, AZ for more information about how to best care for your newborn.

Human milk is widely recognized as the optimal source of nutrition for all newborn infants. Breast milk promotes development of the infant’s immune system and meets the nutritional needs of a full-term infant until approximately six months of age, when complementary foods and fluids are usually added to the diet.

In the coming weeks we will be discussing how to prepare to breastfeed, including the benefits of breastfeeding.

Subscribe to this blog to be notified of any updates or contact Wee Care Pediatrics in Mesa, AZ for more information about how to best care for your newborn.

Immunizing individual children also helps to protect the health of our community, especially those people who are not immunized. People who are not immunized include those who are too young to be vaccinated (e.g., children less than a year old cannot receive the measles vaccine but can be infected by the measles virus), those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons (e.g., children with leukemia), and those who cannot make an adequate response to vaccination.

Also protected, therefore, are people who received a vaccine, but who have not developed immunity. In addition, people who are sick will be less likely to be exposed to disease germs that can be passed around by unvaccinated children. Immunization also slows down or stops disease outbreaks.

At Wee Care Pediatrics we are committed to excellent pediatric healthcare for all children. Contact Us to see what vaccines are needed for your child today.

SOURCE : http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/importance.htm
MAT / 25/ 2009

It’s true that Newborn Babies are immune to many diseases because they have antibodies they got from their mothers. However, the duration of this immunity may last only a month to about a year. Further, young children do not have maternal immunity against some vaccine-preventable diseases, such as whooping cough.

If a child is not vaccinated and is exposed to a disease germ, the child’s body may not be strong enough to fight the disease. Before vaccines, many children died from diseases that vaccines now prevent, such as whooping cough, measles, and polio. Those same germs exist today, but babies are now protected by vaccines, so we do not see these diseases as often.

At Wee Care Pediatrics we are committed to excellent pediatric healthcare for all children. Contact Us to see what vaccines are needed for your child today.

SOURCE : http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/importance.htm
MAT / 25/ 2009