00:00Hi, I'm Dr. Jamie Isip-Kompas, an international board-certified lactation consultant
00:05and a proud member of the Smart Barenting Board of Experts.
00:10In this episode of Experts Weigh In, we're breaking down breastfeeding,
00:14its benefits, challenges, and what parents should know.
00:19Why is a breastfeeding technique important?
00:23Learning the breastfeeding technique is important because you want to set up your baby
00:27to be able to succeed in breastfeeding.
00:29So when you're able to position the baby well, you're able to attach your baby well,
00:34it's going to be very efficient for both of you.
00:37And what's more important is you're not going to be in pain and your baby is going to be happy.
00:43How to know if your baby is satisfied after breastfeeding?
00:48The baby is satisfied after breastfeeding when your baby is actually content and quiet
00:53and gets to fall asleep peacefully.
00:56So what's important is your baby also has to have regular bowel movement,
01:01which is around 4 to 6 times in 24 hours and should have regular urine output as well.
01:07And usually in a span of 24 hours, a newborn baby would want to feed at least 8 to 12 times in a day.
01:14So if your baby is able to reach that, then you shouldn't really be worrying about it
01:18as long as your baby is also able to gain weight regularly.
01:22So those are the things that you want to watch out for.
01:26What not to do while breastfeeding?
01:29When you're breastfeeding, you actually don't want to stress too much about it.
01:34I know it's hard, it can be painful, and you lose a lot of sleep.
01:37But you do want to be able to enjoy breastfeeding because it's something that's relaxing.
01:42It's a good way for you and your baby to bond.
01:45So just make sure that you're taking it a day at a time.
01:49Don't worry about the challenges in the beginning because as long as you're able to get help
01:55and you're managing it, take it slowly and it's going to be better in the next couple of days.
02:01So when it comes to getting your hair done, like getting a hair treatment or even drinking caffeine and wine,
02:09it's actually okay as long as you do it moderately.
02:13That means one cup of coffee a day should be okay, especially if you used to be a coffee drinker.
02:19Even one glass of wine is okay if you know that the alcohol is not in your system,
02:26you're not tipsy or anything like that, then that should be okay.
02:29And even a hair treatment would do you good because it's going to make you feel more beautiful and more relaxed.
02:36So you can actually do those things even if you're breastfeeding.
02:41At what age should breastfeeding ideally stop?
02:45Actually, the age of when you think breastfeeding should stop is very dependent on what the baby or the toddler
02:52and the mom will actually decide on.
02:54So what's important is to make sure that you're able to exclusively breastfeed for at least six months.
03:01And then from six months onwards, you want to be able to just provide as much breast milk as you can.
03:08When it comes to breastfeeding longer, you actually have a little bit more benefits.
03:13A lot of the diseases that you want to prevent, for example, allergies, asthma, forms of cancer like leukemia,
03:19they've seen in some studies that the longer you breastfeed, the more chances of you able to try to prevent these from happening.
03:27So there are good benefits to be able to breastfeed much longer.
03:30It really depends on when the mom and baby feel like they're ready to stop breastfeeding.
03:38But there is benefit to be able to breastfeed for as long as they both think they want to.
03:47Got more questions about breastfeeding?
03:49Drop them in the comments below.
03:51We'd love to help.
03:53And for more expert advice, don't forget to like this video and subscribe to the Smart Parenting YouTube channel.
03:59See you next time!
04:08We'll see you next time!
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