4 Things You Should Know About Breastfeeding
4 Things You Should Know About Breastfeeding Our Southlake and Fort Worth ObGyns recommend that mothers breastfeed their babies during the first six months of life. Breastfeeding has many benefits for both mother and baby. We’ve outlined four things you should know about breastfeeding to highlight the reasons why we recommend it to our patients. [clear] Breastfeeding provides the elements your baby needs for his or her growth and development. Your breast milk is truly special because it contains the perfect amount of minerals, sugar, protein and water that a baby needs for growth and development. It also contains DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and other fatty acids that researchers believe are important for your baby’s brain and eyes as they develop. The breast milk your body provides through breastfeeding changes as your baby grows. In the days following a baby’s birth, breast milk is a thicker, yellow substance called colostrum. Colostrum provides your baby exactly what he or she needs in the first few days, including antibodies and nutrients. Three to four days after you give birth, the colostrum changes to breast milk that completely covers a baby’s nutritional needs. As your baby’s appetite grows, your body will produce more breast milk to satisfy those needs. Even if you are only able to breastfeed for a short time, it will benefit your baby. Our Southlake and Fort Worth ObGyns encourage moms to breastfeed for the first six months, but we also tell moms that any amount of breastfeeding provides benefits. Breastfeeding is beneficial for moms, too. When you breastfeed, the amount of oxytocin in your body increases, which can help your uterus return to its original pre-pregnancy shape and size. There are other benefits, too. Breastfeeding helps decrease postpartum bleeding. It may reduce your risk for developing breast and ovarian cancer. It burns additional calories. Clearly, breastfeeding is beneficial for both mother and baby. Our Southlake and Fort Worth ObGyns know that you may have questions and concerns, and we’re here to help. We deliver babies at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine, and they offer breastfeeding classes to help moms-to-be prepare. La Leche League is also a good resource. [bsbutton size=”btn-lg” color=”btn-wih” fa=”fa-envelope” url=”https://womensintegratedhealthcare.com/contact/” target=”_parent”]Contact us to learn more about breastfeeding and your baby.[/bsbutton]
Decisions to Make Before Giving Birth
Four important decisions to make before giving birth Our Grapevine and Fort Worth ObGyns encourage women to make a birth plan to ensure that they have the labor, delivery and birthing experience they want. With that in mind, we’re highlighting four important decisions to make before giving birth. What kind of atmosphere will you prefer during labor and delivery? This is one of the first decisions to make before giving birth. It’s important for you to be as comfortable and relaxed as possible during labor and delivery. Think about who you want present during labor and delivery, and what items – music, extra pillows, audiobooks – would make you feel comfortable. It’s important to make decisions about your labor and delivery experience. There are many decisions to make before giving birth. For example, would you like to watch your baby’s birth? Do you want to give birth in a certain position?Do you want your partner to be with you if you need a C section? Do you want to avoid fetal monitoring during labor? You need to discuss the type of pain relief, if any, you think you might want during labor and delivery. It’s time to talk about the kinds of labor and delivery pain relief methods you want before, during and after delivery. You may consider epidural and spinal blocks, local anesthesia during the delivery, or no pain relief methods at all to experience natural childbirth. Finally, when the baby is born, there are decisions about his or her care that you should make before giving birth. Some important decisions to make before giving birth are related to what happens to your baby right after he or she is born. There are several things to think about. Do you want your partner or someone else to cut the umbilical cord? Are you planning on cord blood banking? Would you like for the baby to be laid on your chest immediately after birth? Are you interested in circumcision for your male child? During pregnancy, we know there is a lot to consider. We hope that knowing in advance some important decisions to make before giving birth will help make your experience better for you, your partner and your baby. Contact us for more information about obstetrics care.
