4 Breastfeeding Benefits I Wasn’t Aware of as a New Dad
It goes beyond the nutrients and cost
Every time my wife and I argue, she says: but I breastfeed. And… the argument is over. She’s right. Nothing tops that — it takes up a significant chunk of her time, and I can imagine how tiring it must be.
Right before becoming a father, when she was pregnant, I started researching, and I learned a lot about the costs and the health benefits of it versus formula. Breast milk is excellent for the baby’s and mother’s health. Chances are you’ve heard or read it somewhere. In terms of costs, it depends. If it goes smooth — no lactation consultants, no surgery due to tongue or lip-tie — the direct, non-optional costs are much less than formula-feeding.
I also imagined that breastfeeding would be less hassle for me (us, but mostly for me). I would not need to prepare/sterilize the bottle and other recipients (I did a little bit of that initially as he took some formula, and when my wife got back to work). I was ready. However, as it turned out, it didn’t end there. There were other benefits.
1. The only food my son’s stomach can hold when the tummy bug hits
Oh gosh, tummy bugs. Also known as gastroenteritis or stomach flu. I’ve got a few stories, but I’ll try to focus and keep it short.
I learned afterwards that it’s a common bug. To summarize — it causes vomit and other flu-related symptoms. The stomach gets sensitive, and the child is likely to be reluctant to eat for a few days. It’s not so severe, though. Hydration can be controlled with a rehydration solution, if with nothing else. And it goes away on its own.
My son is two and a half now, and it’s been a while since he’s had it. As a first time parent, I was completely unaware of it the first time. I was terrified. When I saw my tiny 11 months old little man vomiting over and over in the middle of the night, I freaked out. I cried like a baby and almost couldn’t drive to the hospital.
It’s happened three times so far, the worst being the last one (I wasn’t so dramatic after first). He was one and a half years old. He stayed without eating for about TWO FULL weeks. His stomach wouldn’t take it. He would even try towards the end when the virus was almost gone, but he would throw up.
In all three occurrences of the bug, breast milk was the only thing his stomach would accept. On the first night, he would vomit even the mother’s milk, but then it would start holding on the second day. It would give us a lot of security and peace to know that he was fed and hydrated.
Breastmilk protects against tummy bugs. And if the baby gets it, the duration of the condition is more likely to be shorter than if formula-fed.
2. The milk’s healing power
I was surprised to see how quickly breast milk can heal. Research studies show that it contains anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, acting as natural medicine. I was able to see it first-hand.
It was the second day in the hospital after the labour. My wife and my son were still learning how to breastfeed and how to latch on. She was in pain on one of the nipples. I tried to help a little, but there was not much I could do. She had tried some creams, but it wasn’t helping.
Luckily, out of nowhere, a lactation consultant showed up. She happened to be giving a demonstration to her students, and my wife was one of the “guinea pigs” of the day.
As the consultant was teaching her the correct position and other things (for free!), she noticed my wife’s breast was bleeding. It was becoming more and more impossible to feed my son from that side.
It was when the consultant taught her about the healing power of the milk. My wife rubbed it while my son was on the other side, and I think in one minute (I don’t remember, but quick), the hurting breast was good enough to feed.
3. It calms things down in various situations
What else can I say? I like to think of breastfeeding as a superpower. And I guess it is. It can calm the babies when they’re tired, hungry, uncomfortable, in sickness, and scared situations.
According to research, during breastfeeding, oxytocin is released into both the mother and infant's brain and has a calming effect and other benefits.
Oxytocin stimulates well-being, it induces anti-stress effects, decreases sensitivity to pain, decreases inflammation and stimulates processes related to growth and healing
It’s often that talking, singing, or rocking doesn’t work. But breast milk always does. Not so much today, though (to remind: my son is two and a half, and my wife will stop giving him soon. Please, don’t tell him). Not as before. But in general, it has always been a saviour in that regard.
4. More sleep hours for me (more so in the beginning)
Ok. It may sound selfish on my part, but don’t beat me just yet. I recognize that breastfeeding over and over like during almost the entire night, leaves my wife exhausted. And celebrating that I get more sleep hours makes it seem like I don’t care about her. It’s not that. My wife and I have talked about it, and we’re fine. It’s reality, that’s all.
From around three months (after the colics) to nine months, every time my son would wake up, it was just a matter of giving him the breast, and he would get back to sleep. Sometimes he wouldn’t let go of it all night. There was no job for me, period. Happy days.
After nine months, the breast stopped from satisfying him. Or I’m not sure what it was. He started needing me even after breastfeeding. Not every time, but often. Today I’m the one who spends most of the time with him when he can’t sleep — one hour, sometimes two hours. I guess I’m paying all my sleep hours back.
Final Thoughts
I’m glad my wife wanted and was able to breastfeed. It wasn’t easy initially — the milk didn’t come down so quickly, the baby lost weight, and people (myself included) started to put pressure to give formula, but fortunately, it turned out well.
Despite all the benefits listed and others, and the fact that health professionals recommend, I understand and respect the mothers who choose not to or can’t breastfeed their babies. After becoming a father, I learned that breastfeeding is hard, and giving formula is not the end of the world. I have friends that chose to do it, and so did we in the beginning. We can’t judge.
