How to Maintain Exclusive Breastfeeding for Babies?

Naturally, breast milk is produced by itself because there is the influence of the hormones prolactin and oxytocin when the baby is born. Breast milk becomes a primary source of nutrition for infants since they have not been able to digest the solid food. 

Breast milk generally is the only food for the newborn baby. With all of the nutritional composition of breast milk, this may prevent the mortality. Therefore, when a Mommy cannot breastfeed her own baby, the breast milk should be substituted by another woman (wet nurse) or a specific formula, and not the milk that is made from cow's milk, especially for infants under one year old.

Irreplaceable by Formula 

Exclusive breastfeeding is given for at least six months, without any additional food or other beverages. Quality of breast milk actually is not replaced by bottle-feeding formula. Many studies endorse the statement, but there are also women who do not give exclusive breastfeeding for their baby.

Generally, mothers do not provide exclusive breastfeeding for the sake of keeping up appearances and worried if the breasts’ size will change after breastfeeding for too long. There are also mothers who don’t breastfeed because the milk supply is insufficient or even cant produce breast milk at all. 

Maintaining Exclusive Breastfeeding

Raising awareness. Awareness here is of course the awareness that exclusive breastfeeding is essential for the baby. The baby will have better immunity than the baby given formula. Further research claimed that the level of intelligence of children who are breastfed exclusively are higher than those without. Not only for the sake of growth and development, intelligence, health and immunity, but also preventing death of infants in their earliest stage of life. The nutrient-rich exclusive breastfeeding is the ideal food for babies because it can fulfill the necessary nutrients in addition to making the baby’s stomach full. It is absolutely wrong if the breast milk is then replaced with starch water only for the sake of filling the stomach, without any nutritional contents at all. 

Providing breastfeeding continuously. Because the breast milk supply is insufficient and giving up on breastfeeding is totally wrong actions. The amount of breast milk will increase if Mommy continues to provide breastfeeding regularly without any desire to stop the breast milk intake for the baby.  

Applying a healthy lifestyle. Consume foods and beverages that can increase the breast milk supply, for example sweet leaves and nuts. Consume special milk for breastfeeding mothers. Do not smoke and do not drink alcoholic beverages.

Asking for the support of people nearby such as husbands, parents, in-laws, siblings, friends, and so on will provide a very meaningful effect for the mother to encourage herself to provide exclusive breastfeeding for the baby.