The Head is Down...

Last night in our child birthing class we had a lactation consultant come in and talk to us about breast feeding... wow did I learn a lot of the overall benefits of breastfeeding! It amazes me some women opt NOT to breastfeed their child.

These are some major points that I found interesting...

* Breast milk is the most complete form of nutrition for infants. A mother's milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein that is needed for a baby's growth and development. Most babies find it easier to digest breast milk than they do formula.

* Breastfed babies score slightly higher on IQ tests because the breast milk has the right amount of fat necessary for brain development!!

* Breast milk is perfectly suited to nourish infants and protect them from illness. Mothers develop antibodies against illness and pass these antibodies on through the breast milk!!!

* Breast-fed infants have lower rates of hospital admissions, ear infections, diarrhea, rashes, allergies, and other medical problems than bottle-fed babies. OH!! And they don't spit up as often as bottle-fed babies... this is interesting because the way babies nurse from the breast give them the perfect amount of food (not too much or too little). When a bottle-fed baby drinks too much their little stomachs expand too fast and can lead to obesity later in life... and it's why they spit up all over the place (there's too much in there, gnar!).

Cow's milk contains a different type of protein than breast milk. This is good for calves, but human infants can have difficulty digesting it. It tears up their tummy's! Bottle-fed infants tend to be fatter than breast-fed infants, but not necessarily healthier. Cow milk for baby cows, human milk for baby humans!! DUH.

Ok... you get the point...

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This morning I had my (31 week) midwife appointment. It went really well...

My midwife checked my legs and said I'm drinking the right amount of water. I have no bloating, and no swollen anything. She checked my heart and blood pressure and it's all perfect. The baby's heart beat is really strong and healthy. The head is down!!! I'm really excited about that... and the baby is getting bigger (16 inches OMG!) I carry the baby in front of me because I'm small and have a small torso, which makes me look huge. I weigh 170 now (daaaaaaaaang).

She's told me twice now that I'm going to be fine during labor... gave me a lot of compliments about how well I'm taking care of myself and I have the right frame of mind to succeed. It was a good visit all around... it relieved some worries and made me feel good about where I am and how I'm doing as a momma.