Most babies will breastfeed a total of a minimum of 140 minutes per day, averaging 10-30 minutes per nursing session.
Category: Fact
Fact of the day: conjunctivitis and breast milk
It happened for the first time in my life. I woke up two days ago with really red eyes, but I thought it was just allergies. I had forgotten to take my eye makeup off the night before and figured my eyes were just bothered. I had also started using a new brand of makeup remover that I noticed was leaving my face really dry. Then yesterday I woke up to completely bloodshot, watery, goopy eyes. UGH!!!!!! It looked like an allergic conjunctivitis. I did what any nursing mom probably would do… I put some breast milk on it. If you’ve been around the mothering world long enough, you’ve probably anecdotally heard of putting breast milk in the eye for anything from clogged tear ducts to pink eye. So I figured I’d go there first. It definitely took the itch away, but after an hour of really no relief I did what everyone really should do: sought professional help at the doctors. The doctor said it was most likely an infection from the eye make up since it was affecting both eyes. A shot of cortisone in the butt and a box of eye drops later, today my eyes are almost back to normal. But now I was curious. The old wives tale says breast milk is cure all, but what are the facts? For your reading pleasure, here’s the current research.
Fact of the Day
Babies are the best pump. They empty the breast better than either hand expression, manual or electric pumps. Even as the most efficient pump, babies never completely empty the breast. Breasts work on what could be called the “80:20 concept.” The 80 percent is the average amount of milk removed by your baby each day. The 20 percent is the residual amount of milk that remains in your breasts. If more than 80 percent of the milk is removed, supply increases to maintain the 80-20 ratio. If less than 80 percent is removed, supply decreases to maintain the 80-20 ratio. Even though this is an over-simplification of a very complex process, as new research emerges this core principle proves true.
Fact of the Day
Fact of the day: Babies actually control how much milk is in the breast through milk removal. The more that is removed, the more the breast makes. Research shows that the mother’s diet, her fluid intake, and other factors have little influence on milk production. If the “milk removal” piece of the puzzle is in place, mothers make plenty of good milk regardless of dietary practices. If the “milk removal” part isn’t there, nothing else can make up the difference.
