04/12/2022
How many times have you heard it “she’s just breastfeeding for comfort” with a negative tone accompanied by a pair of glaring eyes?
Somewhere along the way of human existence comfort nursing became a bad thing. Somehow it got twisted that breastfeeding is ok as long as it’s just used for food, but if your child needs to breastfeed for comfort or to soothe then it’s a bad habit or a means of manipulation. Caregivers give pacifiers for comfort all the time, but using a breast for comfort, well that’s where some people just draw the line.
Comfort nursing is not only normal but important. It provides many benefits to both mother and child.
It helps decrease your child’s heart rate and helps them to relax and calm down. It also releases oxytocin, the love hormone, which helps with bonding and creates that desire to nurture your child's feelings. Perfect for a scared infant or a toddler needing help to regulate after a tantrum.
Suckling at the breast releases sleep-inducing hormones in both baby and mother. It can help babies fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
It’s effective at reducing pain. A study showed breastfeeding was more effective than any other intervention at relieving pain during a procedure. According to the study, crying and grimacing were reduced by 91%, and 11 out of 15 babies did not cry or grimace at all.
It helps babies develop a better mouth and jaw development, unlike pacifiers or dummies, which actually can do the opposite. Another reason why it’s so silly for people to have a problem with comfort feeding. Pacifiers were created to replace the breast, not the other way around.
Furthermore, there’s no scientific evidence showing comfort feeding has long-term negative effects because it doesn’t. We’ve been comfort nursing since the beginning of time.
There is never a reason to withhold comfort from your child. If breastfeeding is their preferred choice of comfort, then by all means breastfeed them. You will never regret responding to your child’s needs. Someday before you know it you will long to be able to comfort and connect in this way again and let’s be honest whipping out the b**b solves about 99% of a child’s problems.
Follow Milkitivity on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/milkitivity_/
