Nutrition

From the moment we know we are to be parents, we realise we have the responsibility for the care of our babies forever.

A correct diet for your baby should begin in utero. It is essential that mothers look after themselves and maintain a balanced diet to promote the development of the foetus.

A new life for the parents as well as the baby begins with its birth. Breast-feeding is an essential stage in the baby’s development as breast milk provides essential nutritional requirements and confers immunities to disease.

You have many months to see his face and now with his arrival, you can’t believe it. It is here! Now begins the most wonderful but also difficult time. Before the arrival of the baby, most parents have made the decision whether to breastfeed or to rely on formula.

It is always a personal decision but you should be aware that the World Health Organisation and the majority of pediatricians, world-wide, recommend breast milk as a unique source of nutrition for the first six months of baby”s life and then as a supplement to a balance diet, during each stage of development, up to a maximum of two years.

DO YOU WANT TO BREAST-FEED YUR BABY? WHAT ARE TEH BENEFITS?

• Breastfeeding is as beneficial to the mother as it is to the baby.
• Breast milk contains all the necessary nutrients for the optimum development of your baby up to the age of 6 months.
• Mother’s milk will protect the baby from disease and help to activate his immune system.
• Also it aids digestion and most babies fed on breast milk suffer less from constipation or diarrhoea. In addition the sucking action at the breast will alleviate colic and gas formation.
• For both mother and baby, it is the most convenient method and allows feeding in any circumstances and at the right temperature.

YOU ASK, WHAT ADVANTAGES ARE THERE FOR THE MOTHERS?

• Well, firstly, breast feeding will help you regain your figure after the birth because the production of breast milk requires approximately 500 calories a day.
• Lactation facilitates the production of oxytocin, a hormone which allows the uterus to return to its normal state. Oxytocin also acts on the brain to produce a happy state of mind and prevent post-partem depression.
• In addition, breast feeding reduces the risk of breast cancer and osteoporosis.
• The physical closeness experienced when the baby is feeding from the breast is an experience which cannot be replicated by bottle feeding and creates a strong bond between the mother and baby.

WHATS HAPPENS IF I WANT TO BREASTFEED BUTI CAN´T?

While we realise the benefits of breast feeding, it cannot always be achieved. With the best will in the world, sometimes there are complications that prevent the realisation of your desire. Formulas, nowadays are scientifically balanced so that your baby will receive all the essential nutrients. So, don’t feel guilty and try to make feeding times with your baby both intimate and special.