Breastfeeding after 6 months

I remember when my first child reached 6 months my relatives told me that I should stop breastfeeding because my milk “turns into water” after 6 months. They told me it’s time for “real food” and artificial powder milk. Thanks to many books I read on breastfeeding I knew that this is not true so I continued breastfeeding and in fact my daughter (who is 4 now) has never tasted formula. However, I wonder how many moms are out there now receiving this dangerous “advice” that has health risks to both mom and baby. Hope my article will give some information to help resist the pressure of the society and do the best for babies – continue breastfeeding for as long as mom and baby wish!

Can breast milk turn into “water“ after 6 months?

No! Breast milk can never lose its quality no matter how old the baby is! Actually some recent studies show that fat and energy contents in our milk increase as the baby starts relying less on our milk after 6 months. With time mother’s body tries to “compensate” for the decreased milk intake by increasing its concentration to help the baby stay strong and healthy.

Value of breast milk to an older baby

Milk is the primary source of nutrition for babies under 1 year. Baby expects it to be mother’s milk, not some soya or cow milk product. Till now there are 10,000 components discovered in breast milk. The most sophisticated formula has only about 200. Do you imagine the huge gap between breast milk and formula?  Besides, formula has no live cells in it – it is a highly processed product. This means that formula can never provide immunity, enzymes, stem cells, hormones of love and happiness and other vital live components that mother’s milk always offers in abundance.

In addition, breast milk has components that help brain develop. It is known that the biggest brain development is accomplished in the first 9 months of life. So studies show, that babies who breastfed for 9 months or longer actually score higher on IQ tests both at the moment of starting school and when graduating, regardless of education system!

Immunity support that we can give by breastfeeding is truly incredible too. Did you know that 1 teaspoon of breast milk contains more than 3,000,000 germ killing cells?! Imagine how much immunity strength the baby will receive if we give not 1 teaspoon of our milk but as much as the baby wants!

Bonding and connection with baby also gets stronger as we continue breastfeeding. Every time we hold the baby at our breast and look into his eyes, the love and attachment between us grows. This connection will keep us close all through the life and will make parenting easier too.

Will teeth hurt the mother?

They should NOT! Many mothers are worried that when their baby gets his teeth breastfeeding will become painful. The good news is that breastfeeding can be always comfortable even if baby has a full mouth of teeth! It is simply impossible to suck and bite at the same time. In order to suck from the breast the baby has to extend his tongue past the teeth and create a “seal” over the breast. In this way the tongue covers lower teeth and makes it impossible for the baby to bite the mother while breastfeeding.

However, most babies will try to bite to experiment with it. Usually with a little patience from the mother biting stops within a few days. If baby bites it’s very important to remove the baby from the breast immediately, make an eye contact and firmly say “No! This hurts mommy!”  Interrupting the nursing session sends a clear message to the baby that biting is not welcome  so he learns not to do it again. If baby is teething (his gums are hurting and causing him to want to bite), then offering a teething toy or your finger after removing the baby from the breast may help relieve baby’s discomfort. Once he stops biting on the toy/finger, you may offer the breast again and praise the baby if he is nursing gently.

How often should we breastfeed after 6 months?

On demand! Breast milk provides immunity support, valuable vitamins, hormones of love and happiness, stem cells and many more amazing things necessary for baby’s growth. The more breast milk we give to the baby, the more benefits the baby receives from it! Thus, there is no need to reduce breastfeeding times after the baby started solids. Actually, we may want to increase breastfeeding to help with the new changes in digestion!

Solid food should NOT replace breastmilk, it should compliment it! Dropping the number of breast feedings per day will lower mother’s milk supply, can lead to premature weaning, increased risk of infections for baby and put mother in danger of breast inflammation/infection! Thus, after 6 months it is recommended to continue breastfeeding on demand and give solids in addition to breastfeeding between nursing times!

Why it’s not recommended to stop breastfeeding at 6 months?

Most health organizations around the world recommend continuing to breastfeed till at least 1 or 2 years.

While it is a personal choice for each mom to decide how long she wants to breastfeed her baby, there are several very important reasons not to stop just at 6 months:

1)      Breastfeeding helps with teething. At around 6 months babies usually start teething which often brings a lot of discomfort to them. Breast milk has natural pain killers, such as oxytocin hormone, which bring relief to a baby in pain! In addition, there are sleep inducing hormones in breast milk. The baby who starts waking up at night due to teething can be quickly comforted by a “sip” from his mom that will relieve pain, relax and help him fall asleep again!

2)      Breastfeeding helps with new changes in digestion. Starting solid food is very stressful for the immature digestive system of the baby. All his organs will be working hard to digest new things that baby has never tried before. Thus, introduction of solid food often leads to digestive problems in baby. Breast milk components can help with those too – oxytocin hormone will work as a pain-killer for belly ache and colics, laxative components will loosen constipation, stem cells will repair any damage done by solid food in the intestines and enzymes/natural probiotics will restore intestinal flora balance!

3)      Breastfeeding helps the baby get all the necessary nutrition. Starting solids is a very tricky time as the baby does not know yet how to digest new food efficiently and everything that baby eats may actually come out in his stool almost “untouched”. Many babies also don’t like eating food in general and it’s normal that some babies refuse and protest solid food all the way till 1 year. Breastfeeding on demand past 6 months will cover all the “gaps” in nutrition and will help the baby grow strong and healthy!

4)      Breastfeeding helps the baby resist infections. As we start solids we introduce to the baby a whole new world of bacteria and viruses that are present on the food we eat. That’s why many babies start getting sick much more often after 6 months. Breast milk will help baby stay healthy and recover fast from any illness (in most cases breastfed babies don’t need medication when sick – they recover quickly by themselves within just a few days!

As you see, breastfeeding after 6 months is very valuable for the baby, it may be even more important than before! Thus, I always tell mothers “It is wonderful if you plan to breastfeed your baby for 6 months! You will give a great start in life to your child! But please don’t stop there. At least continue till 9 months for the baby to adjust to eating new food, pass the most acute teething and accomplish the biggest brain development!” You will never regret if you breastfeed longer! It is once-in-a-life-time experience and you can never repeat it again with your child. So give of yourself as much as you can! The benefits will last a life time for both of you!

Truly yours,

Nadiya Dragan El-Chiti,

Breastfeeding Counselor and Lecturer,

Fcbk group: Breastfeeding in Lebanon

Nadiya.dragan@gmail.com

71-924481

Monthly Breastfeeding Seminars and Private Consultations

-          Breastfeeding Essentials: everything new parents need to know in order to prepare and start breastfeeding successfully in Lebanon (full milk supply and no pain while nursing).

-          Managing Working and Breastfeeding: even full-time working moms can continue fully breastfeeding. This seminar gives all the information on how to do that.

-          Starting Solids and Breastfeeding:  what foods to start with and how, balancing solids with breastfeeding and what are the ways to wean off the breast gradually and with love.

For seminar registration or home/hospital consultations please email to nadiya.dragan@gmail.com  or sms to 71-924481.