Breastfeeding Myths and Facts: Separating Fiction from Reality

Posted On: 2023-08-01 11:24:00

A wonderful and natural method to nourish your baby is breastfeeding. It gives your baby all the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development. Breastfeeding not only delivers the best nutrition for the infant, but it also has many other advantages for the mother. 

Breastfeeding for the baby can help strengthen their immune system, lower their risk of illnesses, and minimise their risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Additionally, breastfeeding fosters a close link between mother and child by providing safety and comfort to your infant. 

Breastfeeding can help moms lose weight, cut their risk of postpartum depression, and lower their risk of developing certain cancers. Additionally, nursing generates hormones that facilitate bonding and relaxation, making it a wonderful method to establish a connection with your child. 

This year World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated from August 1st to August 7th 2023 and the theme set for this year is “Enabling breastfeeding: making a difference for working parents.” This year’s theme is important because workplace challenges remain the most common reason for women to never breastfeed or to stop breastfeeding earlier than recommended and protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding addresses inequalities that stand in the way of sustainable development. 

Along with the beautiful journey of breastfeeding, it comes along with lots of myths and misconceptions. Many mothers are not even aware of the reality of these myths.

1. Breastfeeding is easy: It’s not easy to breastfeed a baby because a mother needs practical support with positioning the baby so that the baby can latch. Breastfeeding takes time and practice for both mothers and babies and is also time intensive, so mothers need space and support at home and work.
2. Mothers should only eat plain food while breastfeeding:  breastfeeding mothers should need to eat a balanced diet. There is no need to change food habits unless the doctor suggests it.
3. You should separate the newborn baby and mother so that she can take rest: Doctors, nurses and midwives encourage the practice of skin-to-skin contact immediately after the birth. Bringing the baby to direct contact with the mother helps to establish breastfeeding.
4. Mothers shouldn't breastfeed if sick: Mothers can typically continue nursing when unwell, depending on the disease. You must ensure that you receive the proper care and enough rest, good nutrition, and hydration. Often, the antibodies your body produces to combat your sickness or illness will be passed on to your baby, helping him or her to develop their defences. 
5. It’s hard to wean the baby if mothers breastfeed for more than a year: There is evidence that nursing for up to two years is advantageous for both women and children, but there is no proof that stopping breastfeeding beyond one year is more complicated. Since every mother and baby are unique, they must decide jointly how long to nurse. 

Breastfeeding is a journey for mothers and babies that is both challenging and rewarding. In today’s generation, too many households believe in such myths and probably there is no one to debunk them. Filaantro along with Child Help Foundation has helped breastfeeding mothers understand the benefits of breastfeeding, the myths and the facts. The organization has also established 18 Baby Feeding Centres in Pan India at hospitals, temples and railway stations. Through this initiative, 56,615 beneficiaries have benefitted. Thus, helping mothers with a safe and secure haven to comfortably breastfeed their babies. 

AUTHOR: ATHIRA PRADEEP NAIR