● Breastfeeding should be initiated within the first hour of birth.
● Infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life.
● From the age of 6 months, breastfeeding is recommended until 2 years and longer along with adequate complementary foods.

● Increased emotional-physical bonding
● Promotes weight loss
● Less postpartum bleeding
● Less risk of postpartum depression
● Reduced risk of critical illnesses, such as cancer, hypertension, and diabetes

● Stronger immune systems
● Decreased rate of childhood obesity
● Lower rates of sudden infant death syndrome
● Decreased rate of common childhood infections i.e pneumonia and whooping cough
● Lesser incidence of illness and hospitalization

❖ Babies should be breastfed on demand. They usually feed 8-12 times in 24 hours

❖ Encourage your baby to stay awake and actively suck while breastfeeding.

❖ With each feed, allow your baby to finish feeding from the first breast before offering the second. You may like to gently massage your breast during feeding to ensure it is well drained.

❖ The more you breastfeed, the more milk you will make for your baby

It is important to make sure that your baby latches on to the breast properly.

1. The very short food-pipe between the mouth and the stomach of the infant may facilitate regurgitation

2. Babies have very small stomachs and with rapid feeding or high volume feeding, the small stomach capacity rapidly fills. This, especially in association with lower oesophageal sphincter relaxation, can contribute to regurgitation

3. Normally, more than 90% of refluxed volume can be cleared from the Oesophagus by one or two normal peristaltic waves. Motor abnormalities associated with immaturity may result in failed peristaltic contractions, thereby, permitting regurgitation

4. resulting either as hypotonia (insufficient muscle tone) or undeveloped control mechanisms (nervous system development) which allows transient relaxation. This permits easy flow of stomach contents back up to the food-pipe into the mouth (gastro-oesophageal reflux), where it dribbles effortlessly out of the mouth, the typical symptom known as "regurgitation".

As the infant grows and body functions mature, most of these factors no longer contribute towards gastro-oesophageal reflux and regurgitation, and the incidence of regurgitation decreases in an age-related manner.Breastfeeding takes time and patience.Ask for help from your doctor or a lactation consultant in case of any doubts.