Kelvin m. Wanjiru

15 Things You Won't Believe Moms Can't Do While Breastfeeding Being a mother means more than you can really imagine. As the moms and they will tell you the ups and downs that they have gone through. Parenting is mostly done by our mothers as they are like our custodians and guardian angels until we grow up. From pregnancy, birth and bringing up, this entirely lies on their hands. After giving birth, every woman has her dos and don’ts that she sets as a bar when she starts breastfeeding her baby. Most women know about this theoretically but when it comes to applying the knowledge practically, it becomes quite a headache. As far as the baby sleeps, feeds and is generally safe, all the other detailed rules of motherhood are just meant to be broken. No mother in the world has ever been able to follow all of them without fail. Sometimes, they just turn a blind eye towards them even though they really know what they should do. It’s hard, we should understand them. New moms however, being their first time to give birth, they try to play by the rules .They tirelessly look for information on what they should and should not do while lactating. They definitely have no experience in motherhood but they have grabbed an idea or two from the society or other mothers. That not being enough, they consult websites and books about the same. Well, that’s a great job. Adding on what you already know, here is a list of 15 things that you should not do while breastfeeding. This will secure good health for your baby since you won’t be producing harmful milk for your baby. 1. Get Drunk When one is pregnant, consuming alcohol is highly discouraging. This si because the body is not all yours. You have a foetus growing inside you and it consumes whatever you do. After birth, as you are breastfeeding, don’t get overjoyed and drink too much. Alcohol results to stunt growth of infants. The baby cannot handle alcohol despite the little it is. A glass or two of wine on weekly basis can be agreed on but it’s better to avoid for the good of your kid. 2. Skipping OUT ON NIGHTTIME FEEDINGS As human beings, sleep is a mandatory necessity. As nursing mothers, this can prove to be quite a challenge as the baby might be breastfeeding in the middle of the night mostly. Since you obviously feel sleepy and tired, skipping out on night-time feeding might seem as a good getaway. However, this is disadvantageous to your body as well as to the infant. When you get used to breastfeeding your baby often, your body gets used t it and will produce good stuff in the milk. This good stuff will help your baby grow strong and healthy. Also, if you don’t feed your child many times even during the night, the milk produced by your body will accumulate in your breast and you will experience itching sensations. These might bring some illnesses to you and your child. 3. GETTING BACK ON THE PILL The last thing you want as a lactating mother is to have an inadequate supply of milk. The oestrogen based birth control pills lower your milk supply. If you want to still have some sexual consent with your husband and you don’t want another little one, it’s advisable to take the mini pill, or a progestin-based pill. They are considered safe to take while still nursing your little one from your body. 4. USING SOAP ON THE TATAS Bathing for a lactating mother is very important and necessary for an breastfeeding mom. It helps you stay fresh and rejuvenate your energy to produce more milk. However, applying soap to your nipples while washing you milk machine is very fatal. It will cause then to dry, start cracking and eventually start breeding. This causes unbearable pain especially when the baby is feeding. It is advisable to just use warm water and then apply nipple cream. You can also use some of your own expressed breast milk to keep them moist and allow them to air dry. 5. SAYING YES TO THE PACIFIER Pacifiers affect your breastfeeding abilities as a mom. Moms are advised to hold off on giving their babies the suckers until breastfeeding has been good and already established. As a breastfeeding mom, you should at least give your baby a month after birth before thinking of using the pacifiers. 6 LOADING UP ON THE JAVA Research shows that caffeine is not that important in your body. As it is, only 1% of caffeine is consumed after taking coffee. So, it’s no use drinking a lot of coffee for nothing. Take a cup a day and that should be enough. 7 SUPPLEMENTING YOUR SUPPLY WITH FORMULA Supplementing your breast milk with a formula is not a wise thing for a lactating mother to do. This act is known to affect the preference of your baby on your milk being the best for him/her.Also.it decreases your milk supply as the bay is not sucking it directly from the source. 8 TRYING TO SHED THE POUNDS A breastfeeding mom should consume consuming at least 1800 calories per day .The calories are very essential in making the milk to be fed to the baby. This means that losing the weight for a mom who is nursing, should be done very carefully and gradually. I know that during the process of pregnancy and giving birth, one gains a lot of weight and becomes shapeless. Most mothers want to get their sexy shapes back. However, nursing period is not the best time to do that. 9. EATING WHATEVER YOU WANT Whatever you’re consuming, is entirely what your baby who is breastfeeding is counting on to grow. A baby does not only need to grow, but rather grow healthy and strong. Eating the wrong food will result to poor growth of your child. Eating the right food will result to your baby growing well. For instance, Gassy foods lead to grumpy babies. Eat a balanced diet meal that will equally and fully contribute to your baby growing quickly, healthy and strong. 10. IGNORING POSSIBLE ALLERGENS Keep an eye out for rashes, hives, wheezing, and congestion on your little one during the lactation period. They are also prone to allergies and therefore we should be careful. The sources of any allergy to a baby is directly from what is present in the milk. What is present in the milk is what the mother has fed on. So, after you have noticed that there are some allergy symptoms, get back to your diet and investigate precisely. You will land to the type of food causing the discomfort on your baby. 11. FORGETTING TO QUENCH YOUR THIRST Water is an essential component in manufacture the milk for the little one to feed on. Without enough water, there definitely won’t be enough milk produced for the baby. Drinking less water will be fatal to both the mom and the baby. The mother will be dehydrated and the baby lacks enough food. 12. POPPING ANY OLD PILL One might fall sick even during the breastfeeding period. It is advisable for such a mother to discuss the side effects of the medications prescribed to her by the doctor. This is with an aim to ensure that they won’t be of any harm to the growing and breast-feeding baby. Avoid buying over-counter medicines. Consult a doctor every time. You never know what might come out of your ignorance. Be careful. 13. INDULGING IN HERBAL REMEDIES Just because the herbs come right from the earth does not make them harmless to a breastfeeding mother. Not all herbs are safe for her to consume, some of the herbs are supplemented in beverages or milk that people buy. If you know little about certain herbs you want to buy, consult a specialist on that field. For instance, herbs such as Fennel, Fenugreek, Thistle, and Stinging Nettle are known for being breast milk buds. This tells you that you should be careful on the herbs. 14. PUFFING THE STICKS Smoking anything, bhang or tobacco is totally harmful to babies who are still sucking from their moms. Nicotine is not a good combination with milk especially for a baby. Illnesses such as nausea, diarrhoea, cramping and vomiting come as a result to your poor baby. This is very dangerous. 15. GIVING IN TO YOUR TYPE A TENDENCIES Allow your baby to be the boss, at least when they’re breastfeeding. This is for the benefit of the baby of course. You cannot plan a schedule or routine for your bay on when to feed and so on. They feed when hungry and they demand it by a loud annoying cry. Therefore, you must submit to make the going smooth until they stop breastfeeding.