Did you know March is National Nutrition Month?
Nutrition Month is so important as it highlights making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits it affects everyone, no matter what their age and gender is. Throughout the month, Whitney Young Health providers who specialize in Nutrition will be discussing various aspects of Nutrition and easy ways you can implement these tips and tricks into your daily life.
This week you will hear from Kelsey Munn, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Lactation Counselor, works at Whitney Young Health as their WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator. She will be discussing the importance of breastfeeding and how it provides so many healthy benefits to babies and young children.
Breastfeeding is a lot like dancing. More often than not, someone will bonk an elbow, step on a toe, fall once or twice; but when you continue to stand up and work with your partner you can be successful.
During breastfeeding, bonked elbows and squished toes may occur, but when a mommy and baby get their grove down – breastfeeding gets a lot easier to do. This is when lactation counselors, peer counselors, and your local WIC agency comes into play – we can help be your dance teachers!
We always hear that breastfeeding is healthy for our babies. It helps decrease their risks for type 2 diabetes, obesity, ear infections, diarrhea, and cuts their risk for SIDS. But breastfeeding is also great for our mommies – it decreases women’s risks for diabetes, obesity, post-partum depression, and decreases breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer.
The Best Ways to Prepare Yourself for Breastfeeding Success:
1. Breastfeeding within the first hour of birth.
2. Do not offer formula in the first month of breastfeeding – your body is still trying to set its production and formula can get in the way of that!
3. Skin to skin with anyone who is important to baby – mother, father, grandparents, older siblings. Skin to skin helps regulate heart rate, respiration rate, and will help initiate breastfeeding.
4. Always call if you need help. Here at Whitney Young, we have a 24/7 Breastfeeding Hotline, 518 -221-7183, you can call for assistance!
Breastfeeding will help a baby have success with food later in life. Their acceptance of fruits and vegetables is higher, they are less likely to overeat, less likely to be picky eaters, and they continue to grow healthy brains and bodies. With the help of WIC and local breastfeeding experts, you too can be an award winning dancer!
To talk to Kelsey about breastfeeding or nutrition today, call Whitney Young Health’s WIC office at (518) 465-9387.