I suddenly received a message from my wife, full of emotion. 😲 Curious, I checked and it was about how our baby, Osami, was feeding well directly from her breast. Just two days ago, due to jaundice testing, we hadn't been able to feed him breast milk. When we tried direct breastfeeding from yesterday, he would latch, sleep, wake, and cry, seeming uninterested.
After much struggle and almost giving up, this morning he latched on and fed well. She felt grateful.
I asked, "Why not just express and feed?" She said pumping and direct feeding are different. Aren't they the same? So, I did some research on the advantages of direct breastfeeding.
Benefits for the Baby
- Muscle Development: It's said that babies use about 60 times more effort to suckle from the breast than from a bottle. Unlike bottles where milk flows effortlessly, with direct breastfeeding, the baby uses their tongue to actively draw out milk. This action naturally exercises the baby's tongue, lips, and surrounding muscles.
- Coordination Enhancement: While breastfeeding, alternating between the left and right breast, or feeding in various positions, activates various nerve and motor systems in the baby. This mutual interaction enhances the baby's ability to coordinate movements and responses.
Benefits for the Mother
- Oxytocin Release: When a baby directly breastfeeds, more oxytocin is released compared to pumping. An active release of oxytocin promotes postpartum recovery through uterine contractions and naturally acts as contraception (with about 98% efficiency).
- Sense of Security: Direct breastfeeding facilitates skin-to-skin contact, eye contact, and the exchange of smiles between mother and baby. This enhances their bond and provides a sense of security. The baby also finds comfort in the mother's heartbeat and body temperature.
- Other Benefits:
- Minimized Risk of Infection: Pumped and stored breast milk has potential exposure to various germs (especially if stored for extended periods). With direct breastfeeding, the baby consumes milk immediately, minimizing the risk of external contamination.
- Reduced Nutritional Loss: Storing expressed milk for prolonged periods can degrade some vitamins. Heating stored breast milk might destroy some of its nutrients and immunity-enhancing components. Direct breastfeeding avoids these concerns.
- Fewer Dishes: Pumping involves several parts: bottles, funnels, and other components, all of which need cleaning and sterilizing. This means a lot to tidy up after feeding. Direct breastfeeding reduces this workload.
Study on April 15th, 2023.