Baby Feeding

Breastfeeding

Breast milk provides the best nutrition for babies. It has a nearly perfect mix of vitamins, protein, and fat - everything your baby needs to grow. It's all provided in a form more easily digested than infant formula. Breast milk contains antibodies that help your baby fight off viruses and bacteria. Breastfeeding lowers your baby's risk of having asthma or allergies. In addition, babies who are breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months, without any formula, have fewer ear infections, respiratory illnesses, and bouts of diarrhea. They also have fewer hospitalizations and trips to the doctor. What's really nice is the physical closeness, skin -to-skin touch, and eye contact that help your baby bond with you creating a sense of security.

Breastfeeding is beneficial to almost all mothers and infants, but the benefits may be significantly greater for women of color. The current literature on breastfeeding patterns among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) mothers is scarce, thus warranting further research. Based on the limited data, AI/AN mothers have lower rates of breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity relative to other racial/ ethnic groups except for African Americans. On a positive note, AI/AN mothers who were still breastfeeding at 6 months were more likely to still be breastfeeding at 12 months.

Lack of knowledge about breastfeeding, unsupportive social norms, concerns about milk supply, poor family and social support, and unsupportive work and childcare environments make it difficult for many mothers to meet their breastfeeding goals. Bass United supports Native women by providing a knowledge base from various resources to learn more about breastfeeding, to understand the benefits and to make the right choices for success.

Breastfeeding

https://owh-wh-d9-dev.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/documents/fact-sheet-breastfeeding.pdf

Your Guide to Breastfeeding

https://owh-wh-d9-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/documents/your-guide-to-breastfeeding.pdf

CDC Breastfeeding

https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/index.htm

CDC’s Work to Support & Promote Breastfeeding in Hospitals, Worksites, & Communities

https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/pdf/breastfeeding-cdcs-work-508.pdf

Medela Family

https://www.medela.us/breastfeeding/medela-family?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=MDLA_Search_US_N_TMR_N_Nonbrnd_Exact&utm_content=TMR+-+Breastfeeding&utm_term=breastfeeding&gclsrc=aw.ds&?cb=

How to Keep Your Breast Pump Kit Clean

https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/pdf/hygiene/breast-pump-fact-sheet.pdf