There’s a lot to be said about having a baby. You’re new to breast feeding and the whole nine yards. You’re never sure if you’re doing the right thing when you’re making decisions about your child’s health, or even what times you should be breastfeeding them – and you feel isolated and often alone for the first few months.

Of course, daddy needs to step in here as well, but often times women are the primary caregivers during the first months of a child’s life. Postpartum depression is a fairly common occurrence for new mothers. It can happen after childbirth and persist for a few months or even up to a year. The symptoms are sadness, fatigue, anxiety, irritability and changes in eating or sleeping patterns.

Women often feel guilty about feeling depressed as they think they should be happy about having a new baby. Factors that contribute to postpartum depression are the enormous change in lifestyle, hormonal changes and possible preexisting mental illness.

Postpartum depression differs from postpartum exhaustion or the more transient “baby blues”. The postpartum exhaustion improves after adequate sleep. The “baby blues” will pass and are less severe in the symptoms.

Additional symptoms of postpartum depression are low self esteem, hopelessness, guilt, emptiness, social withdrawal, feelings of inadequacy, spells of anger, and panic attacks. Risk factors that will increase the chance of developing postnatal depression include a poor social support, poor marital relationship, infancy colic, prenatal anxiety, single parenthood, poverty and an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy.

Postpartum depression has a serious effect on, not only the mother, but hinders the bonding and care of the infant. A clinically depressed mother will not respond with positive emotions toward the new baby. This will negatively effect the mother to baby relationship.

The mother may be emotionally detached and avoid caring for the infant. The infant of a mother with post partum depression will feel less secure. The stigma and guilt the mother feels about her postnatal depression may hinder her from seeking help for her depression.

The medical community should be screening for risk factors and be aware to intervene at an early point to treat this type of hormonal and situational depression. Proper nutrition and exercise should be addressed to help to decrease the risk of depression.

Treatment for postpartum depression can include support groups, psychological counseling, a healthy diet and developing consistent sleep patterns. Sometimes, antidepressant medications are used. Safety is always an issue if a new mother is nursing and using medications for depression and it should be discussed with her physician.

According to research, it is estimated that 15% of women experience postpartum depression. Health care professionals in OB-GYN need to know to bring up the conversation about the prevalence of postpartum depression. Information should be given to new mothers on resources available for help.

Health care professionals should be screening for depression around 24 to 26 weeks during the pregnancy itself, and 4 weeks after delivery. Early intervention can vastly improve life for the new mother, her infant and her family.

African American women are at a higher risk for a more treatment-reistant form of breast cancer. It is actually a more rare form of breast cancer, but it is nonetheless a scary thing to be diagnosed with because it is known to be more agressive and much harder to treat successfully.

Researchers say that they think the reason black women are more prone to get this type of more virulent cancer is that their demographic tends to have two or more children, and is less likely to breast feed their children. Who knew this would put you at higher risk for breast cancer in the first place? Not me!

This type of “hormone receptive negative breast cancer” is typically higher among women who fall into the two categories mentioned above, hence giving more black women than other races a higher risk.

So, what is the link between breast feeding and breast cancer prevention? Hmm, good question. Well, I looked it up because quite frankly I had never heard of that before. I know about most of the genetic markers for breast cancer and definitely the diet and fitness regimen connection to a higher risk, but not breast feeding.

Well, this is very interesting actually. Apparently, because when you breast feed your child, you reduce the total number of menstrual cycles in your life span. This somehow correlates to a lower risk of breast cancer!

Further, you can help your daugher reduce her risk of breast cancer as she ages if you breast fed her as a child.  The theory for adult women is that breast feeding their children reduces their overall exposure to estrogen.

Estrogen is the female hormone that often fuels breast cancer – especially certain types of breast cancer. When estrogen is taken out of the picture a bit, your risk is reduced.  Who knew the benefits of breast feeding also extended to the mother to such a degree?

It makes perfect logical and evolutionary sense that a mother’s instincts are made stronger by another perfectly natural part of motherhood – breast feeding. Breast feeding mothers actually release more of the bonding hormone when they breast feed, so it is interesting that such a correlation has been made.

Research has shown that mothers who breast feed, when compared to mothers who are bottle feeding or women who are not mothers at all, tend to be much more defensive and agressive when they are faced with a threat to them or especailly their child. In short, they become much more ferocious “warriors” when they become mothers that breast feed.

The intersting part is that this likelihood of higher agression is not just seen in breastfeeding human moms, but it is also seen across the animal kingdom of lactating mothers. Animals in several different categories that can lactate were also found to be more agressive when they are lactating, and less likely to just take a fight lying down when they are confronted with some sort of threat.

Also very interesting, and actually somewhat counterintuitive until you really think about it, is that the lactating mothers were actually more calm when you look at their vital signs. Their blood pressure was actually lower than the non breast feeders during the confrontational period they were tested.

This suggests that the ability to maintain composure and calm gave them the extra oomph needed to respond in such a way that would ultimately defend their offspring.  This also offers an intersting suggestion that perhaps breast feeding is just as good for mommy as it is for baby!

The human body is amazing if you think about. Nature has provided women with ways to maintain composure and effectively defend their babies by helping them maintain calm composure and good vital signs during typical fight or flight occurrences.

Nature is quite amazing in many ways.  Not only does breast feeding benefit the baby, but it also has so many other mechanisms by which it benefits child and mother, that you know it is the most natural, wonderful thing you can do for your baby.  This does not mean women should feel guilty if they cannot breast feed for some reason, it just means that if you are a mother that can do it, it definitely is well worth your time, effort, and yes, sometimes pain!

Apparently, even though breast feeding is on the top of the list when it comes to important things that new mothers can do for their babies according to many top health experts, US hospitals are shockingly not doing all they can to promote it since there are so many health benefits to breastfeeding.

When I say “promote” I mean that they are really not supporting it in new moms the way they should be. Because of this, they may be setting the new moms up for failure when it comes to successfully breast feeding their newborns, and leaving a bad taste in the baby and mother’s mouth when it comes to producing breast milk (for the mom) and taking it (for the baby).

About eighty percent of hospitals in the survey give healthy newborn breastfedding infants man made formula when it is not even necessary, for example. This may confuse the baby and make it harder for the baby to learn to breast feed regularly in those first few critical hours and days of its life.

Further more, it was reported that many US hospitals don’t even practice in-room boarding for mom and new baby. They keep them in separate rooms, making it harder for the new mom to produce milk on demand for her new baby, and therefore making the transition in those first few crucial days more difficult.

The key is to making the transition much smoother for mom and baby alike, and US hospitals fell really short of that according to the Center for Disease Control, who is the one making the criticisms and suggestions for improvement.

This is surprising considering that we here in the US consider our healthy management systems to be one of the best.  Apparently there are a lot of areas of opportunity for the medical establishments that bring new babies into the world.

I know that most of my friends I’ve talked to say they’ve gotten some support from staff nurses on how to start feeding their babies the right way, but it doesn’t sound like they had nearly enough. It’s a scary thing for a new mother to endeavor on her own, and having onsite help at all times is crucial.

It will make for much healthier babies in the future, and will greatly reduce health costs since breast feeding really helps babies to develop healthy, strong immune function from the beginning.  Read about natural ways to increase milk production also, it can really help you out when you’re in need.

This really takes the cake, or shall I say the cheese (sorry about that awful pun). Did you hear of how there was starting to be a budding market for dairy foods made with human breast milk? Yeah, that’s human, as in me and you, capable intelligent beings who can read this, our breast milk.

Why does that gross people out so much, when they drank it as a child? And also when it’s something that comes from us, when we drink the milk of other animals all the time? I’m not sure, but I can tell you, it really gets my gag reflex going. I supposed it is because we look at it as a such a sacred part of a person.

It’s like drinking someone’s sweat I suppose. There are lots of things that people can eat that animals just don’t have access to. Imagine all the toxins that could be in some women’s breast milk due to the human diet for most people, first of all!

At least with cow milk, you know the cow is pretty much just eating grain and grass and drinking water, and really not doing much else. A cow is a vegetarian, whereas people are like garbage cans, they eat everything in sight.

The latest craze is using human breast milk in one of my all time favorite foods – cheese. Blasphemy I say! This is just totally offensive to me, although I would never judge someone who’s into it since it’s each unto their own in my book.

The breast milk cheese was actually served at a New York gallery. Not sure what the patrons who ate it thought, but I certainly hope they were aware of what they were eating.

An important decision new mothers need to decide is if they should breast or bottle feed their baby. Breast milk is nature’s way to nourish your baby. However if you don’t feel comfortable with breastfeeding, pumping is an alternate option. The baby will get all the benefits of breast feeding whether fed from the breast or bottle.

Most medical professionals recommend nursing the baby for the first year. However, the baby benefits even if breast feeding is done for a shorter while, as they still will get the benefit of the unique nutrients in their body.

Feeding the baby mother’s milk is better than formula in that it is easier to digest. Since it is easier to digest there is less gas and spit up. There are many other benefits to breastfeeding verses formula also. Some benefits include convenience as well as cost. Natural feeding is convenient; it is always at the perfect temperature.

You never have to bother with washing bottles and nipples. Nursing is better than formula because formula can be quite expensive. If you’d rather pump there are many good breast pumps available to buy or rent. Most health insurance companies will help cover the cost these.

Occasionally you will hear that a formula has been recalled after an injury or death. Formula fed babies have a higher chance of developing certain childhood lymphoma, and the risk for obesity later in life is increased. Back in 1990 the average cost to feed a baby formula for one year was around $1,000, today that number has grown.

Mother’s milk contains antibodies which help the baby fight off infections better than formula and helps babies develop stronger immune systems versus bottle feeding. Some studies have shown that babies fed mother’s milk have a developed higher IQ. Nourishing your baby with mother’s milk is better than formula because formula feeding increases the chances for the baby to develop allergies.

Lastly, feeding time is a special bonding experience with mother and baby.  This is probably one of the most individually important reasons that breast feeding can be such a blessing for mother and child.  It’s this intangible benefit that we have when the mother is close to her infant for a period of time. That bonding is priceless.

Forget about all the other health benefits for the baby and the baby’s immune system. Often times it’s just more of  a bonding experience for mother and child that makes breast feeding so important to so many new mothers.  They feel like they can really get to know their child better this way, and that the baby can really feel a strong bond and attachment to their mother that is really not comparable to any other bond.

If you have decided to breast feed your child, you might find yourself worrying if you will have enough milk for your hungry baby. Don’t worry too much, that is quite a common concern. Fortunately there are things that you can do to ensure that you have enough breast milk for your hungry child.

Let’s take a look at ways that you can increase breast milk production naturally.  Once you learn how to produce more breast milk, you will have an easier time of dealing with keeping up with your baby’s hunger.

Perhaps the easiest thing you can do to increase production is to increase feeding frequency. This stimulates the hormones that are responsible for milk production. Make sure that you breastfeed your baby every two hours. At night you may want to wake up your baby for an extra feeding.

How to get more? You can nurse longer. That’s right, the longer that you nurse your baby, the more you will produce. Don’t ever set a predetermined time limit for your feedings. This is a common mistake that mothers make. Just relax and let your baby nurse until they are full.

Yet another way to produce more breast milk is to nap and nurse. Taking your baby and feeding them as you both nap. How does this method work? It works by relaxing you and the baby and it makes your body produce more hormones that increase production of breast milk. It’s a simple method and allows a close bonding with the baby as a plus.

It is well known that stress has some negative effects on the body. Stress can also inhibit how much breast milk you produce. Learn to relax. If you find yourself becoming too stressed out, find some way to relieve stress. 

I find that yoga, doing things I really love and enjoy, and reading a great book are ways that I can take time out and really be myself and become immersed in relaxation.  New mothers don’t even realize how much they’ve given up, and at times it can be frustrating to be always doing for someone else. It’s important to take time for yourself.

Sometimes it can be as easy as taking a nice bubble bath or perhaps a nap. Learning to relax will ensure that you will always have enough nutrients for your baby, and it will also make you a better mom.

By using the above information you will know that you will always have enough nutrients produced for your baby. The steps are easy to follow and will help to keep you relaxed. Your baby will be able to grow strong and healthy thanks to you adhering to the instructions on how to get the most nutrients made for them.

In a total reversal from previous advice on what drugs are safe and are not safe to take while breast feeding your infant, a new study has found that strong painkillers that can only be attained via prescription may be safe – at least in small doses, to take while breast feeding.

They found that, astoundingly, a very small fraction of the drug was actually passed on to a woman’s breast milk when she took a strong pain relief drug – at levels that are considered “safe” for a baby to take in.

They said this may change the recommendation for women who are nursing their babies and happen to be in serious pain that your average OTC (over the counter) painkiller won’t touch, such as Tylenol or Advil. 

The potential problem I see with this type of recommendation to new nursing mothers is that just because test subjects showed that a small percentage of strong pain relievers like Vicodin and such passed through to their breast milk, it does not mean that every nursing mother’s body is going to behave the same way.

We all react to, and absorb drugs at different rates depending on a lot of things like body weight and individual tolerance.  one woman’s breast milk may be fine when taking a prescription drug, whereas another’s may for whatever reason absorb more of the drug which could potentially be harmful to the baby. 

Where this may be of a definite benefit for women who are enduring pain after giving birth from vaginal tears and other such trauma from pushing something the size of a watermelon out of their body. 

Currently, they are only allowed to take mild pain relievers, which may not really put much of a dent in more severe pains. If they can now safely take more serious pain medications, then women would not have to go through unnecessary pain after giving birth and breast feeding their child at the same time. 

It’s really, in the end, a personal decision, and should be based on how you feel about it. If the idea of potentially passing on a prescription drug to your baby terrifies you and is way out of your comfort zone, then you can make your own individual decision based on that comfort level. 

And speaking of breast feeding, see our page on ways to increase breast milk production.

Well, women who spend a lot of money on supplying their young children with healthy breast milk can finally get a tax break for doing so, as long as the expenditure, combined with other eligible medical costs, exceeds  a certain percentage of that person’s income.

The likelihood of that may be low if you have a higher income, but this may well benefit some lower income mothers who insist on feeding their babies breast milk during the first years of their life to give them a great head start. Some of the breast feeding supplies that would be covered would be a breast pump and other supplies to increase breast milk production.

There are the bags that the mother must store her breast milk in, the bottles, or whatever else goes with the contraption to help a mother get the most breast milk she can to her babies.  This new decision to let breast feeding supplies be deductible is quite a departure from the past stance of the IRS on breast feeding supplies, even when other medical costs were allowed.

It may be because of increasing pressure and awareness on breast feeding in the medical world and in circles of healthy mothers who want to give their babies the most natural start they can.

It also may be due to the fact that other medical supplies and procedures which didn’t seem as important as this were allowed to be deducted, creating a sort of head scratcher for women who were breast feeding and spending a significant portion of their income on it as to why they couldn’t catch a break.

With professional breast feeding supplies costing hundreds of dollars a year, it’s a welcome change to the tax law for new mothers who qualify. It’s too bad that it doesn’t apply unless you spend a significant chunk of your income on medical costs that are eligible, but I guess we’ll take what we can get at this juncture.

There has long been a debate on when the earliest time is that you should wean your child off of breast milk and start them on “solid” foods, which of course by no means are the solid foods we are used to, but rather pureed versions of those solid foods.

This is because a baby’s swallowing mechanism is not yet fully matured and they cannot handle swallowing really solid foods like adults do for a long time.  It used to be thought that the longer you keep the baby on breast milk if you breast feed, the better.

This is because the traditional thought process is that breast milk is the best nutrient for the baby. It passes on all the nutrition that the mother has, as well as her antibodies to the child. Breast milk fed babies have also been thought to have a leg up when it comes to cognitive development and overall physical development as well.

There is really no valid argument against breast feeding your baby, this has largely gone unchallenged as the best thing for your child, so it is a totally personal choice. However, the length of time that a child is breast fed has been questioned in a recent study that shows a child may actually garner more benefit by getting “solid” foods a littler earlier than thought.

Traditional wisdom was that babies shouldn’t really get solid foods until they are well past the six month mark of breast feeding. However, new research is showing that it may be better to try to wean a child right at about six months, depending on the parent’s comfort level of course, and the baby’s receptiveness.

They think that a baby who gets solid foods like this may be better able to develop tastes and preferences for foods that are healthy and may have a slightly bitter component to them, like dark green vegetables.  If they are on breast milk too long, it sort of closes this window to have them develop and be more receptive to, healthy foods.

This may be a weapon against future obesity rates since it makes a child desire foods that are actually healthy for them.  Who knows what’s really best, but it may be worth it to look into this a little further if you are a new parent.