Win a hamper from Similac to celebrate World Breastfeeding Awareness Week

It’s World Breastfeeding Awareness Week from 1-7 August and SA Mom Blogs is giving away a hamper of some lovely goodies for a nursing mom.

So… I’ve had my share of ups and downs with breastfeeding. It’s hard. It’s a really hard thing to do. I struggled to latch. I had to pump for a month.I used both boob and formula till I got back on track a few months later.  I struggled through biting. I struggled to wean. 

I even wrote a poem about how frustrated I was feeding a two year old at night. 

And then I wrote this:

I’m not a lactivist. I’m just a mom who wants her kid to sleep. And the boob works. It has other benefits as well. (see below)

There are a lot of positive and negative things about breastfeeding but this remains: at the end of a long day of tantrums and peeing in pants Nicky and I can connect in this intimate way. In the middle of the night, when he sometimes wakes up, the magic boob gets him back to sleep. And it calms me down too. Yes, there are times when it drags out too long and I get irritated, but on the whole, I’m glad that we have this. Because I know it won’t be long when he will no longer be asking for his “boobie” and my little boy will really become a big boy.

Until then I’ll cherish these moments with my son.

Honestly I can’t tell you exactly when we stopped breastfeeding. I know he stopped the day feeds at two but after three it became less and less at night. He stopped when he was ready and told me distinctly that “booby is for babies”. (As I’d been telling him for some time). 

But the struggles were totally worth it. I know that Nicky got the best in nutrition at the temperature that he needed and there were benefits for me as a mother too. Most of all, that I just had to roll over and feed him. No bottles to sterilise, to heat. Just an initmate connection between mother and child. And a real bonus: he doesn’t get sick much. Yes, the snotty nose etc but we have never been to a hospital. 

 

Here’s a nice timeline of the benefits of breastfeeding. So however long you do it, you know you’ll give your baby some benefits.  (This is taken from Babycenter).

IF I NURSE FOR A DAY…

Breastfeeding your baby for even a day is the best baby gift you can give. Breastfeeding is almost always the best choice for your baby. If it doesn’t seem like the best choice for you right now, these guidelines may help.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR JUST A FEW DAYS, he will have received your colostrum, or early milk. By providing antibodies and the food his brand-new body expects, nursing gives your baby his first – and easiest – “immunization” and helps get his digestive system going smoothly. Breastfeeding is how your baby expects to start, and helps your own body recover from the birth. Why not use your time in the hospital to prepare your baby for life through the gift of nursing?

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR FOUR TO SIX WEEKS, you will have eased him through the most critical part of his infancy. Newborns who are not breastfed are much more likely to get sick or be hospitalized, and have many more digestive problems than breastfed babies. After 4 to 6 weeks, you’ll probably have worked through any early nursing concerns, too. Make a serious goal of nursing for a month, call La Leche League or a Lactation Consultant if you have any questions, and you’ll be in a better position to decide whether continued breastfeeding is for you.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 3 OR 4 MONTHS, her digestive system will have matured a great deal, and she will be much better able to tolerate the foreign substances in commercial formulas. If there is a family history of allergies, though, you will greatly reduce her risk by waiting a few more months before adding anything at all to her diet of breastmilk. And giving nothing but your milk for the first four months gives strong protection against ear infections for a whole year.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 6 MONTHS, she will be much less likely to suffer an allergic reaction to formula or other foods. At this point, her body is probably ready to tackle some other foods, whether or not you wean. Nursing for at least 6 months helps ensure better health throughout your baby’s first year of life, and reduces your own risk of breast cancer. Nursing for 6 months or more may greatly reduce your little one’s risk of ear infections and childhood cancers. And exclusive, frequent breastfeeding during the first 6 months, if your periods have not returned, provides 98% effective contraception.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 9 MONTHS, you will have seen him through the fastest and most important brain and body development of his life on the food that was designed for him – your milk. You may even notice that he is more alert and more active than babies who did not have the benefit of their mother’s milk. Weaning may be fairly easy at this age… but then, so is nursing! If you want to avoid weaning this early, be sure you’ve been available to nurse for comfort as well as just for food.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR A YEAR, you can avoid the expense and bother of formula. Her one-year-old body can probably handle most of the table foods your family enjoys. Many of the health benefits this year of nursing has given your child will last her whole life. She will have a stronger immune system, for instance, and will be much less likely to need orthodontia or speech therapy. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends nursing for at least a year, to help ensure normal nutrition and health for your baby.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 18 MONTHS, you will have continued to provide your baby’s normal nutrition and protection against illness at a time when illness is common in other babies. Your baby is probably well started on table foods, too. He has had time to form a solid bond with you – a healthy starting point for his growing independence. And he is old enough that you and he can work together on the weaning process, at a pace that he can handle. A former U.S. Surgeon General said, “it is the lucky baby… that nurses to age two.”

IF YOUR CHILD WEANS WHEN SHE IS READY, you can feel confident that you have met your baby’s physical and emotional needs in a very normal, healthy way. In cultures where there is no pressure to wean, children tend to nurse for at least two years. The World Health Organization and UNICEF strongly encourage breastfeeding through toddlerhood: “Breastmilk is an important source of energy and protein, and helps to protect against disease during the child’s second year of life.”* Our biology seems geared to a weaning age of between 2 1/2 and 7 years**, and it just makes sense to build our children’s bones from the milk that was designed to build them. Your milk provides antibodies and other protective substances as long as you continue nursing, and families of nursing toddlers often find that their medical bills are lower than their neighbors’ for years to come. Mothers who have nursed longterm have a still lower risk of developing breast cancer. Children who were nursed longterm tend to be very secure, and are less likely to suck their thumbs or carry a blanket. Nursing can help ease both of you through the tears, tantrums, and tumbles that come with early childhood, and helps ensure that any illnesses are milder and easier to deal with. It’s an all-purpose mothering tool you won’t want to be without! Don’t worry that your child will nurse forever. All children stop eventually, no matter what you do, and there are more nursing toddlers around than you might guess.

WHETHER YOU NURSE FOR A DAY OR FOR SEVERAL YEARS, the decision to nurse your child is one you need never regret. And whenever weaning takes place, remember that it is a big step for both of you. If you choose to wean before your child is ready, be sure to do it gradually, and with love.

*Facts for Life: A Communication Challenge, published by UNICEF, WHO, and UNESCO, 1989
**K Dettwyler. A Time to Wean. Breastfeeding Abstracts vol 14 no 1 1994
©1997 Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC 136 Ellis Hollow Creek Road Ithaca, NY 14850

 

Win!

Similac® Mom would like to give-away a  hamper to the value of R800  not only to create awareness but to also celebrate this week.

Similac® Mom is a shake. 

• Low-fat, low calorie, helps manage weight during pregnancy and while breastfeeding
• Helps build your immune defences
• Supports healthy digestion
• Helps reduce the risk of iron deficiency anaemia
• Vitamin D and FOS, a prebiotic, have been shown to improve calcium absorption

 

 

The hamper includes:

• Breastfeeding Pillow
• Nipple Cream
• Breast Pads
• Similac Mom tin
• Wrapped in a lovely hamper box, cellophane and ribbon

By the way I have to say a word about the pillow. I think it is one of those nursing must have’s. It helps support the baby while you feed. And the cream sure helps the wear and tear of breastfeeding. The pads help those early days when you are literally leaking.

But the Similac mom can help YOU. I think we forget about ourselves in this process and how much we need the nutritional support just as much as baby does. 

Win this hamper by simply leaving a comment below. 

Terms and Conditions

1. This competition will run for a week. The winner will be announced on the Facebook page, and emailed. 
2. This competition is open to SA residents only. 
3. The prize is not transferable.
4. If you have won on SA Mom Blogs in the past 3 months you will not be eligible to win this competition.