Breastfeeding is act of naturally feeding an infant with milk produced in mother's breast. This has unlimited amounts of benefits for baby not only breast milk is healthier but action of feeding child is a moment of love in which baby learns to bond, smell and caress with mother as she gives nourishment and affection. Without a doubt breast milk is best food for a newborn, nothing comes even closer to provide all nutrients that baby will need later in life. Breast milk is much easier to digest then any formula in market, at same time it provides protection against infections, prevents future food allergies, helps 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 third or fourth month switching to formula and later to cow's milk, this certainly robs baby of special qualities that breast milk offers. Infants that stop nursing before 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 following conditions and 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 milk and a diet high in caffeine may cause colics and sleeping problems for baby it is very important 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 milk.

The use of a breast pump may inhibit production of milk, lowering amount available to baby, this gives false idea that infant should be change to formula in order for him to be satisfied, when in fact problem is quantity of milk that 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 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 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 mother in first two or three weeks after delivery and is more annoying to women with poor skin elasticity. Engorgement is due to milk excessively filling breast together with blood and fluid retention in same area.

Usually breast feels full, hard, tight, tender, painful, breast feels hot to touch and a fever may develop, 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 breast are very helpful relieving engorgement.

² Take homeopathic remedy Belladonna 6X.