15 things you always wanted to know about breastfeeding!
You thought you knew everything about breastfeeding? But did you know the following 15 facts?
- Breast size is not important! No matter what size you are, you’ll make enough milk for your baby.
- Babies breastfeed until they’re full not until they ’empty’ your breast, on average, babies remove 67% of the milk you have available.
- An average breastfeed lasts 16 minutes.
- Breastfeeding burns an average of 500 calories a day.
- The average time it takes for letdown to happen is 56 seconds.
- Typically you can expect growth spurts when your baby is about two to three weeks, six weeks and three months. If you continue to feed on demand for a couple of days this phase will pass and the balance between supply and demand will be restored.
- After six weeks it is normal for breastfeeding babies not to poo for 3-7 days as the milk is easily digested and tailor made that there is very little waste product.
- When your baby is born his stomach is the size of a marble, so the colostrum you produce will be just the right amount to fill him!
- Babies naturally nurse in 2 phases – Initially they suck fast and light to stimulate milk and then slower and deeper once the milk is there.
- Breastmilk contains 415 different proteins.
- Stem cells exist in breastmilk! These amazing cells have the ability to become a load of different type of cells in the body. Stem cells are like gold dust to medical research.
- Breastmilk leaves the breast through openings in the nipple; the average amount of openings in a nipple is 9, with some ladies having up to 18!
- When breasts lactate they are classed as an organ!
- Almost three-quarters of mums produce more milk with their right breast.
- When breastfeeding Babies get Breastmilk is the ultimate all-in-one meal and, amazingly, your body produces the right nutrients and volume of milk to match your baby’s needs and developmental stage.
