World Breastfeeding Week

While motherhood comes with a lot of responsibilities, breastfeeding is one of them. It is the natural method through which a mother provides nutrients, fluids and even antibodies against diseases to her baby. Breastfeeding is not only a healthy practice, but also provides a baby with the best possible start in life. In fact, it is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and experts across the world that every single mother should exclusively breastfeed their babies for at least the first six months of their lives.

In order to promote breastfeeding and its wide range of advantages, the WHO celebrates the first week of August every year as the World Breastfeeding Week. In order to celebrate the World Breastfeeding week theme, that is, to 'support breastfeeding for a healthier planet', below are a few myths and facts for you to understand the concept of breastfeeding better.

Myth: Your nipple hurting while breastfeeding is natural.

Fact: According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), while it is natural for new mothers to experience a certain amount of discomfort during the initial days of breastfeeding, it should not hurt.

It is natural for nipples to feel sore and sometimes even bleed when your baby starts teething. Besides this, breastfeeding is not supposed to hurt. However, if it does, it most likely means that you are either positioning the baby wrong or definitely not making sure that the baby is properly attaching to the nipple properly. Both of these issues can be conveniently resolved simply by asking a nurse, doctor or experienced mother to show you the right way.

Myth: There are mothers who find it difficult to produce sufficient milk.

Fact: According to the UNICEF, if you feel that you're not producing enough milk, it could be majorly due to the following three reasons:

• The baby fails to reach the nipples properly.
• The baby is unable to absorb sufficient amounts of fluid with each feeding.
• The frequency of breastfeeding is irregular or not right.

Celebrating the theme for Breastfeeding Week 2020, UNICEF points out that most mothers produce just the right amount of milk for their babies. In any other case, proper support combined with an adequate diet, rest and exercise during the breastfeeding months is also equally important.

Myth: You cannot breastfeed when you are sick.

Fact: As convincing as it may sound, mothers can usually breastfeed even if they are sick, only as long as they have consulted with a doctor and are taking the necessary treatment for their sickness. However, if the disease is too contagious, a breast pump may be used in order to express the milk and then feeding it to the baby, as recommended in the case of COVID-19 infection. Breast pump kits can be safely procured at the convenience of your home, only from genuine online medical stores such as Smart Medical Buyer.

Although breastfeeding has miraculous health benefits for both the mother as well as the child, there are immense misconceptions regarding it. These misconceptions, in turn, lead to the formation of major barriers for the implementation of proper breastfeeding practices throughout the world and hence, proper maternal counselling as well as awareness programmes are required in order to completely dispel these myths for once and for all.