A is for:

Antibodies….which are passed from mum to baby through breastmilk.

Allergies, and also for asthma – their incidence is less in breastfed babies.

Alcohol – which you shouldn;t drink when pregnant, but can have (in moderation!) while breastfeeding.

“Awwww”….that lovely snuggly feeling you get…

B is for:

Beautiful smiles I get when she sees the boob coming

Big Bouncing Bazoongas that I have when Breastfeeding (I won’t say what they’re like when I’m Not lol!)

C is for:

Colostrum – babies perfect first milk

Convenience – breastmilk is ready to serve, any time, anyplace, right temperature, no preparation and no clearing up.

Closeness – that special bond between mum and baby

Counsellors – people who can help if you’re finding it hard

Calories – the extra ones you use up whilst feeding

Chocolate – you know every new mum needs it!!

D is for:

Don’t give up, during the Difficult times, which we all have in one way or another,
or

Dental Development

E is for:

Excitement from baby when they know they are about to be fed delicious mummy milk! Extra benefits that bf gives, and

Extending those benefits into toddlerhood

F is for:

Feeding frenzy – what a bf baby does when you need to increase your supply to support a growth spurt – and don’t we wish we’d been warned, rather than (F is also for) fretting that there’s something wrong with us or our supply!

Formula manufacturers – they take every chance to pretend that their product is just as good, for instance pushing (F is for) follow-on milk – implying that bf babies might be deficient in iron! www.ibfan.org/english/news/press/press13may04.html

Flora – the good kind in our babies intestines www.drjaygordon.com/bf/supplement.htm

G is for:

Goodness – all those extra special ingredients in breastmilk.

Gastroenteritis, which is less common in breastfed babies.

Groups – support groups are a great help, especially if you’re finding it hard in the early days.

H is for:

Happiness, the feelings you get when you feed your baby, mmmm, endorphins, fabulous!

High blood pressure and cholesterol, something those who are breastfed are less likely to have.

Healthy, healthy baby, healthy mummy, what more could you ask for?

Help, we all need a little, at some point, and it is always here on iVillage if nowhere else.

Health Visitors, often not experts in breastfeeding, and sadly often far to quick to suggest formula, grrrrrrr!

I is for:

ivillage Breastfeeding support board it’s fab!

Immunity, which breastfed babies get a boost to via the milk.

IQ, breastfed babies have higher IQs, and the longer they are breastfed for the greater the IQ advantage.

Illness – breastfeeding is a fantastic gift when your baby is ill, it comforts and soothes, and when they can’t digest anything else breastmilk can often keep them going.

J is for:

Just the right temperature

Joy to both mummy and baby

Boobie JUICE

Job satisfaction

K is for:

Knowledge…which along with support is the Key to success

Keeping going, through those tough early times – it does get better!

Kip – get it whenever you can!

L is for:

LOVE from mother to infant: breastfeeding increases the bonding feeling

LOVELY LEISURELY feeds

Little cute smiles, when your baby is feeding and you look at them and they have let go of your nipple and are smiling up at you (aww so cute)

Lactation obviously!

Lazy – when you can just put baby to nipple and don’t need to bother with the bottles and the mixing and the

washing and the sterilising!

Lactational Amenhorrea breastfeeding as contraception in the first 6 months

M is for:

Mammories!!

Milk: Mummy milk of course!

Medications – some of which you cannot take when pregnant but are ok when breastfeeding – see the BFN drugline site or www.motherisk.org

Mmmmm Mmmmmm Mmmmmm, the cutest sound in the whole world as your baby guzzles away!

Money: the stash of cash you save by not buying formula

Marvellous and Magical: the way a booby can instantly soothe a fractious child, not to mention the healing powers of breastmilk: put it on a small cut or sty and see how fast it heals!

N is for:

Natural thing to do

No Need to sterilise

Nipple cream, most needed at least in those first days

O is for:

Ooops my milk is squirting everywhere!!!

Other peoples problem if they dont like you feeding in public

Our boobs were made for feeding just like our feet were made for walking!!!

Open mind, Open heart

Q is for:

QUALITY milk

QUANTITY – as much as baby needs

QUICKLY available

QUIET baby who doesn’t have to wait for a bottle to be made!

P is for:

Pumps, so baby can still get your milk when you’re apart

Pads – might need lots at the beginning

Public – you CAN feed whilst out and about, even if it seems daunting

Positioning – take time to get it right, right from the start

Problems – there can be lots, but most can be overcome

Practice – it makes Perfect!

R is for:

Rest – get as much as you can

Restful – all those lovely hormones helping you to get back to sleep in the middle of the night and having a great excuse to get everyone running after you whilst you’re sitting feeding!

Rubber – you don’t need any (teats or condoms!) whilst your feeding (at least to begin with) (see ‘lactational amenhorrea’)

Rosy glow of satisfaction knowing you’re doing the best for your baby

S is for:

Snuggling up with your baby So close to you.

Saving money – it all comes for free.

Selfish because I get to have my babes all to myself.

Support, without which we might not have coped.

Size of boobs no object: breastfeeders can be AA or H cup!

T is for:

Time, none of it wasted washing, sterilising, mixing, warming……

Terrific, yet another word to describe how good breastfeeding is

Toddlers, and all of us Weirdos who still feed them! In public!!! http://community.webshots.com/photo/180981338/180982424hJkyuC

Tandem feeding, double the fun!

Truth, what the formula manufacturers try to bend

Teeth, careful now, but it doesn’t mean it has to be the end

Tasty, sweet, light, delicious, no wonder your baby can’t seem to get enough of it!
and – dare I say it? -T is for T*ts: get ‘em out for the babies!

U is for:

Unique: your breastmilk is made just for your baby

V is for:

Vitamins and minerals that breastmilk is full of, and the Vitality they give our babies

W is for:

Weight gain: it tends to be slower and steadier in bf babies leading to heathier adults with lower blood pressure, lower cholestorol (sp?) etc. (it’s just a shame not all medical professionals seem to realise this!)

W is for how wonderful bf is.

Weight loss for mum through bf: an extra 500 calories a day are consumed by BF

X is for:

Xenogeny, which means production, as in milk production!

Xerophagy, which means fasting or dieting, which most breastfeeding mums don’t have to do

Xerox, which actually means to copy or imitate, which is what formula manufacturers try to do to breastmilk, but don’t really manage!

X-ray, avoid it whilst pregnant, but it’s perfectly safe for a breastfeeding mum

Y is for:

YUMMY

Yes please Mummy, I’ll have some more breast milk

Yellow breastmilk poo – and no constipation or smell

Y not?

Z is for:

Zealous breastfeeding and breastfeeding zealots!

Zero formula needed

Z is for breastfeeding being the Zest of having a baby

 

This article reproduced with permission from www.breastfeedingsupport.co.uka ‘not for profit’ website packed with articles and advice about breastfeeding, written by mums from their own experiences.