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The Health Benefits Of Breastfeeding

THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF BREASTFEEDING

GODWIN IHESIE

Unfortunately, the young mothers of the 21st century have been mistakenly led to believe that breastfeeding may be unnecessary since cow’s milk or baby food formula does very well as a substitute for breast milk.

The businessmen of this world have also made women to believe that man after all can improve and duplicate the properties of breast milk.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”, says the book of Hosea 4:6.

Some women do in fact admit that it may indeed be selfish not to adequately breastfeed their young ones, but for cosmetic reason they do not want to spoil their beautiful, firm and pointed breasts and figures.

However, little do they know that it is the hormone and glandular changes associated with pregnancy that makes the breasts heavier and less firm and sag, not breast feeding.

It is important to also ask this group of women: what was the purpose of the maternal breast in the first place?

The Bible describes those women who refuse for whatever reason to breastfeed their young ones as cruel. The Book of Lamentation 4: 3 – 4 says:

“Even the sea monsters draw out the breast; they give suck to their young ones. The daughters of my people are become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. The tongue of the suckling child cleaveth to the roof of his month for thirst; the young children ask for bread and no man breaketh it unto them.”

Breast milk is baby’s nature’s perfect food throughout the first phase of life here on earth.

Today, we are privileged to know that every mother, by virtue of her natural endowment provides the delicate substantiate bridge and the fertile soil from which a healthy child with a strong disease-resistant body will blossom forth. It is the purity of this delicate bridge which only the mother could offer, that will not only determine that nature of the soul that will enter the developing body (foetus) during pregnancy, but will also shape the health of the child throughout his or her entire existence in this world of gross matter.

Therefore, every mother should realise that she bears a great responsibility towards the future health and happiness of all her offspring.

Breast feeding is a normal and natural function and a special gift from God Almighty which only the mother can give to her young one.  Through breast feeding the child receives more than just food for the nourishment and strengthening of the physical body – a good and solid foundation for life on earth; but it is also a way of relating to the child in love.

Through the purity of her volition during breast feeding, a noble woman endowed with a delicate intuitive perception can open the gate within her and allow God’s blessing to stream abundantly through her; not only for the well being of the child, but also for the ennoblement of her immediate environment. The joy, blessing and rewards of breastfeeding to both the child and the mother cannot be quantified in material terms.

It is written in the book of Psalm 22:9:

“But thou ART HE that took me out of the womb; thou didst make me hope WHEN I WAS upon my mother’s breasts.”

Further more, the book of Genesis 49:25 says:

“EVEN by the God of thy father, Who shall help thee, and by the Almighty, Who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessing of the deep that lieth under blessing of the breasts, and of the womb”.

First of all let us start by examining the blessings and the health benefits which a woman derives from breastfeeding. As we noted above, it is not only child that benefits from proper and adequate breastfeeding; reciprocally, the mother too benefits immensely from this act.

Science has shown that breastfeeding protects a woman against some of the degenerative diseases that are common today like:

• Uterine and Ovarian cancers.
• Breast Cancers.
• Bone problems associated with menopause such as Osteoporosis.
• Maternal type II diabetes.
• Post-partum depression, etc.

Breastfeeding is particularly effective in protecting a woman against Breast Cancer. Sucking the breast by the young ones is a form of breast massage that promotes healthy breast lymphatic drainage that prevents the accumulation of toxic, metabolic and cellular wastes that can trigger cellular changes in the breasts and thus cancerous growths.

Most of the damages done to the health and future happiness of an individual begin early in life, especially during the period of laying the foundation for the physical body. A mother today was once a child yesterday. A child (girl) that was adequately breastfed may be well protected against diseases like breast cancer, hypertension, heart diseases, etc, later on in adult life (as a mother).

Almost 90% of women who develop breast cancers are often victims of marriage disappointment or disappointment in love matters, which often leads to serious emotional breakdown and disturbances in the harmony between the soul and the body.

Strong negative emotions are known to weaken the liver, disturb the glandular system; and above all, destroy the part of the immune system that inactivates or engulfs cancerous cells as soon as they appear in the body or breasts.

It is on record that breast cancer, like any other types of cancer, is often diagnosed in women twelve or more months after a serious emotional breakdown, especially when it has to do with the failure in male and female relationship.

A mother that was adequately breastfed as a child, who also in return breastfeeds her own offspring, will naturally develop the intelligence, purity of thought and love that will enable her cope effectively with any difficult situations that might confront her anytime in life, no matter how traumatic such events might prove to be.

In the next edition we shall continue with the health and protective benefits a child can derive from breastfeeding.

Giving the child a good start early in life is one of the surest, most effective and lasting ways of preventing most of the childhood and adult diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the fact that:

“The best vaccine against common infectious diseases is adequate diet” – which should commence in infancy. The human breast milk is biochemically unique in its constitution, perfectly designed by nature to give the newborn all that it requires nutritionally at this important first phase of physical growth in life.

Adequate breastfeeding of the child during this period is not only “the best vaccine” against common childhood diseases, but the act is equally the most effective means of laying a solid foundation for the immediate and future health and happiness of the child. Thus breastfeeding, which is one of the greatest gifts of God, is a responsibility which should be of paramount importance to every nursing mother.

Every mammal produces the kind of breast milk that is best suited to the nourishment of its newborn. For example, elephant or cow produces the kind of breast milk that will aid the development of creatures that are very large and strong; and in the same manner, rabbit’s breast milk is adjusted to nourish the creatures that grow very fast.

Apart from the fact that the human breast milk is adjusted to a particular child’s need during the first phase of its growth, it has been demonstrated that at the present phase of human evolutionary cycle, the maternal breast milk has been adjusted to suit the creatures that develop a relatively large frontal brain.

Sheila Kitzinger, in her book, “The Experience of Breastfeeding“, wrote that breast milk is designed, “for beings whose cortical development permits them to explore, invent, form families, evolve new kinds of social organization and cultures and through speech, reading and writing, share with others and hand on through history their values, experiences and discoveries, and who have a potential for abstract thought and the concepts embodied in mathematics, science, religion and philosophy”.

Studies have shown that there are specific proteins in human breast milk that protect the development of the frontal brain. In fact, breastfeeding is today regarded as the 4th trimester in the development of the human brain.

Unlike the human bodily fluids, the human breast milk is a living fluid constantly changing in composition. It varies from feed to feed between morning and evening and from day to day – according to the particular child’s needs.

Scientific analyses have shown that breast milk is composed of mainly water (90%), protein, lipids, oligosaccharides, hormones, enzymes, growth factors, minerals, vitamins, antibodies; and many more are yet to be discovered.

The first kind of milk, present in the material breast before child birth or the first 1 – 5 days following delivery is known as COLOSTRUM. It is yellow and creamy and contains no fat. Colostrum is very rich in minerals, vitamins, proteins; and most importantly, antibodies. Human health investigators have found that the concentration of IgA (Immunoglobin or Antibodies) present in the colostrum is higher than that present in the material blood.

1. The antibodies present in the first breast milk – colostrums – protect the newborn against a wide range of microbial infections such as:  polio, coxsacki group of viruses, salmonella, shigella, organisms that cause respiratory infections, etc.
2. Colostrum coats the gut lining of the newborn and thus prevents large molecules of protein that can trigger off allergic reactions from crossing into the newborn’s blood – in this way also, potentially harmful bacteria are prevented from invading the immunologically vulnerable gastrointestinal and respiratory walls of the child.

1. Colostrum (the first milk) has a mild laxative action that helps the baby to evacuate the meconium – the baby’s first stool or faeces, and also it reduces the baby’s risk of developing neonatal jaundice.

After about 7 days of delivery, the first breast milk – colostrum – changes to what     is known as TRANSITIONAL MILK, which may be more watery, low in fat and antibodies, but still yellow in appearance.

MATURE MILK, which is more watery and blue-white in colour, then replaces the transitional milk after about 15 days of delivery.

-             Breastfeeding is known to help promote the mental, emotional and spiritual development of the child later in life.

-             Breastfeeding promotes proper development of the brain and central nervous system, and the child’s IQ (Intelligence Quotient). It promotes retinal growth and corrects visual defect.

-             The effectiveness of immunization against polio, tetanus, etc., is enhanced through adequate breastfeeding.

-             Proper breastfeeding protects the child against all kinds of microbial infections; kidney infection, middle ear infection, blood poisoning (Septicaemia), respiratory infections; bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, etc.

-             A well breastfed child has a reduced risk of:

*       SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

*       Childhood diabetes (both type I and type II).

*       Childhood cancer such as lymphoma.

*       Obesity.

*       Inguinal hernia.

*       Acute appendicitis.

*       Rheumatoid arthritis, etc.

-      Breastfeeding reduces the incidence of:

*          Colic, stomach upset and constipation.

*          Fever, diarrhoea or vomiting.

*          Inflammatory bowel diseases, allergies, eczema, atopic dermatitis, etc.

-      A well breast fed child has a reduced risk of:

*          Heart diseases, hypertension, and infertility later on in life as an adult.

Studies have shown that bottle fed children with cow’s milk may have their kidneys overloaded with the excess morbid waste products of protein metabolism.

They may also have an increased rate of:

-             Infantile diarrhoea.

-             Respiratory tract problems.

-             All manner of microbial infections.

-             Calcium deficiency with the associated health problems.

From all the above mentioned facts, we can see that breast milk remains the baby’s perfect food throughout the first phase of life. No manufacturer of baby formula can duplicate or replicate the changes in composition, the volume, or nutritional need of the baby – which takes place every day or from time to time.

It is true that there are times when the mother’s milk may not be adequate in volume (quantity) and quality. But this can be quickly remedied by the mother through:

-             Drinking plenty of fluid (e.g. fruit juices).

-             Eating sprouted seeds like sesame seeds, etc.

About the Author

CURRICULUM VITAE

SURNAME:

IHESIE

OTHERS:

CHILEREOBI  GODWIN

DATE OF BIRTH:

NOVEMBER 15, 1958

PLACE OF BIRTH:

AKPAHIA-OBIOHURU, UMUAHIA, ABIA STATE.

STATE OF ORIGIN:

ABIA STATE

NATIONALITY:

NIGERIAN

MARITAL STATUS

MARRIED

HOME ADDRESS:

9, AJUWON ROAD, AJUWON, IJU-HILLS

OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

OFFICE ADDRESS:

J. N. IHESIE  NATURAL HEALTH SERVICES

OGS PLAZA, AJUWON, IJU HILLS, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA.

E-MAIL ADDRESS:

chilereobi@yahoo.com

TEL.  NO:

+234-0803-306-5263

Keith Godwin Good Directions

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