Breastfeeding:

Breastfeeding is the act of naturally feeding an infant with milk produced in the mother's breast. This has unlimited amounts of benefits for the baby not only breast milk is healthier but the action of feeding the child is a moment of love in which the baby learns to bond, smell and caress with the mother as she gives nourishment and affection. Without a doubt breast milk is the best food for a newborn, nothing comes even closer to provide all the nutrients that the baby will need later in life. Breast milk is much easier to digest then any formula in the market, at the same time it provides protection against infections, prevents future food allergies, helps the growth of healthy teeth, and most important it improves brain development. Studies had shown that breastfed babies are more intelligent than formula fed babies.

However, many mothers stop breastfeeding after the third or fourth month switching to formula and later to cow's milk, this certainly robs the baby of the special qualities that breast milk offers. Infants that stop nursing before the forth month are at risk of developing asthma, food and respiratory allergies, intestinal bacteria, and oral weaknesses (poor teeth development).

Sometimes a mother can not breastfed her baby due to a number of reasons, such as, low quality of milk, breast pain, infection, etc. That's when herbs come into play, many midwifes have used them for years to improve quality and quantity of milk, to fight infection and much more, take a look at the following conditions and the natural ways to treat them.

Low quality or quantity of milk

Low quality of milk can be cause by medications or a poor diet, many antibiotics contaminate the milk and a diet high in caffeine may cause colics and sleeping problems for the baby it is very important the the mother keeps eating a well balance diet after giving birth, and preferably foods with no traces of pesticides these poisons become highly concentrated in the milk.

The use of a breast pump may inhibit the production of milk, lowering the amount available to the baby, this gives the false idea that the infant should be change to formula in order for him to be satisfied, when in fact the problem is the quantity of milk that the mother is producing.

Herbs can help with both of these common problems.

We recommend

² Eat alfalfa or take it in capsules, it stimulates lactation, improves quality and quantity of milk.

² Chaste tree Increases flow of milk, by affecting pituitary's prolactin secretion.

² Chinese use an herb called codonopsis to increase lactation and strengthen the blood.

² Goat's rue this herb is been used by midwifes for hundreds of years to improve breast milk production by as much as 50 %.

² Vervain encourages milk secretion and flow, it also increases absorption of nutrients from food and helps with postpartum depression.

² Milk thistle promotes production of milk and decreases pesticide residues in breast and milk.

TIP: Did you know that tight bras may stop the milk production and cause plugged ducts?.

² Cumin helps increase milk production. ² Caraway, aniseed, dill, and fennel promote flow of best milk. It can be taken in form of teas or infusion.

² If you are prone to chills while breastfeeding and have poor quality of milk use calcarea.

Engorgement

Breast engorgement is a very common problem that start affecting the mother in the first two or three weeks after delivery and is more annoying to women with poor skin elasticity. Engorgement is due to milk excessively filling the breast together with blood and fluid retention in the same area.

Usually the breast feels full, hard, tight, tender, painful, the breast feels hot to the touch and a fever may develop, the baby may have a hard time to latch on and suck.

We recommend

² Take a handful of Confrey leaves and steam them for a few minutes wrapped in a gauze and placed on the breast are very helpful relieving engorgement.

² Take the homeopathic remedy Belladonna 6X.

² Soak a towel in hot water and place it on the breast ten minutes before feeding.

² Poke root reduces swollen breast and pain. Use under doctor supervision.

² Elder is used to reduce swelling of engorged breast.

² Chamomile help control inflamed breast.

² Give your baby frequent feeds on both breast 10 to 15 minutes each.

² Use a pump to extract milk between feedings to control engorgement.

² Massage the breast while feeding to help milk flow easily.

² Mix 2 quarts of boiling water.

2 tsp. of vitex berries. 2 tsp. of blessed thistle leaves. 1 tsp. of nettle leaves. 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seed. 1/2 tsp. anise seed. Let it steep for 30 minutes, strain and drink 2 cups a day.

² Bryonia reduces swollen and hard breasts.

² Pulsatilla and calcarea is very helpful reducing the size and hardness of engorged breasts.

² When the production of milk is excessive and produces engorgement a cold compress using peppermint oil should be used.

² A compress of marshmallow and slippery elm often reduces engorgement.

Plugged duct

This is a problem that occurs when the baby does not empty the breast completely on each feeding, the milk remaining in the duct hardens and blocks the duct eventually plugging it. Tight bras can cause plugged ducts as well. If the breast feels sore it might be a sign of plugged ducts. A plugged duct should be taking care of as soon as possible, if not so it can develop into Mastitis.

We recommend

² Castor oil helps with inflammation and pain.

² Elder is used to reduce swelling of plugged breast ducts.

² Queen's delight Clears congestion of lymphatic vessels, stimulates white blood cells to react to infection.

² Check your nipples everyday, if you see dry milk on them or dark dots remove them with a cotton and warm water and feed your child as soon a s possible from that breast.

² Place the baby in different positions every time, this will ensure that all ducts are being used.

² Place hot towels on the breast or run hot water over them in the shower.

² Massage the breast in the direction of the nipple to try to get the milk to come out. Mastitis

Mastitis is a condition that results when a plugged duct becomes infected, the breast swells due to a bacteria that enters through tinny cracks on the nipples. The breast infected with mastitis becomes red and painful with pus secretion other symptoms are fever, fatigue, vomiting or nausea.

We recommend

² Take poke root this helps mastitis. Use under doctor supervision.

² Queen's delight Clears congestion of lymphatic vessels, stimulates white blood cells to react to infection.

² Place hot towels on the breast or run hot water over them in the shower.

² Elder is used to reduce swelling of breast infected with mastitis.

² Rest as much as you can.

² Drink lots of water or alfalfa juice.

² Coat your nipples with breast milk after feeding.

² There are antibiotics that are safe for nursing mothers and their babies, see your doctor if your case is very severe. However we recommend that you try to avoid antibiotic as much as you can.

² Wash your hands before and after feeding, to prevent bacteria contamination.

² Dandelion is very helpful and popular herb to treat mastitis.

² The chinese use gentian to cure mastitis.

² Madder root is useful in relieving mastitis.

Cracked nipples

Cracked nipples can develop when the baby is being position wrongly or by using damp breast pads. The nipple becomes irritated, red, and painful in some cases bleeding may develop.

² Calendula cream will soothe and encourage the healing of cracked nipples and is safe for the baby to swallow.

² The homeopathic remedy called chamomilla helps heal cracked nipples.

² The homeopathic remedy called pulsatilla helps heal cracked nipples.

² Sulfur is also helpful for cracked nipples.

² Apply vitamin E to sore and cracked nipples.

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Charles Silverman is the author of HMM newsletter and owner of Home Made Medicine.com