breastfeeding benefits for mom

(playful music) >>steven samawi, md ob/gyn:- the decision to breastfeedis a very personal one. it helps to know thebenefits of breastfeeding both to you, and to your newborn baby. up to the first twomonths of your babies life it has no immune system. and so it depends on alot of the antibodies that you pass on through your breast milk. >>fonda mitchell, md ob/gyn:-it can alsominimize vaginal bleeding

that is occurring in thatimmediate post partum period, so that theuterus shrinks back down to normal, in a quicker pattern. >>vicki cohen, cnm certified nurse-midwife:- there is a reduction in childhood obesity, childhood respiratory infections, sudden infant death syndrome. all that said, it seems like breastfeeding should just becomenaturally and be very easy. and the process ofmaking milk is something

that comes naturally. your babies sucking ability is something but, it is not always easyto put those two together. >>danielle, 28 weeks pregnant:- breastfeeding was a verychallenging experience with my first one. we faced a lot of issues. but now i feel very confident. and once we were in a good place it was a great experience,and i look forward

to doing it again with my second. >>stella dantas, md ob/gyn:- for some women, it's very easy to nurse. and for other people it's a challenge. and again, every baby is different. we will be watching your baby's weight the first couple days inthe hospital very closely. and it is very normal to sometimes need some supplementationuntil your milk comes in. >>christie, second time mom:- with my first daughter,there was definitely some

bumps in the road. it was really wonderful tohave a lactation specialist to be able to help out with that. so i just had to givemyself a little bit of time and everything turned outsmoothly after a few weeks. >>vicki cohen, cnm certified nurse-midwife:- it's very rare forsomeone not to be able to breastfeed, but that doesn't mean that you won't need help. and we have a lot of help to offer you.

>>debra davis, md family medicine:- but if you're not able tobreastfeed, there are a lot of options to help supplementyour baby's nutrition and get you bonding withyour baby right away. most hospital nurses aretrained in lactation support and a lot of hospitals also havelactation consultants on staff. so just know there are a lot of resources to help you get your babystarted with nursing. >>oksana, 37 weeks pregnant:- when i went in to deliver my third child pretty much everybody knew that i had

issues with breastfeeding,and i want to know how to do it best. and so i had all theselactation specialists there to talk to me, so i guesssome of that helped. (laughs) >>fonda mitchell, md ob/gyn:- so it is a uniqueexperience for a lot of women and we look to create aregimen of lactation support depending on where things arefor you and for your baby.