Breast Feeding
Breast Feeding
Breast feeding (pronunciation: /ˈbrɛst ˈfiːdɪŋ/), also known as nursing, is the process of feeding a mother's breast milk to her infant, either directly from the breast or by expressing (pumping out) the milk from the breast and bottle-feeding it to the infant.
Etymology
The term "breast feeding" is derived from the Old English words "brēost" meaning breast and "fēdan" meaning to nourish or feed.
Process
Breast feeding is initiated shortly after birth and can continue until the child is two years or older. The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breast feeding for the first six months of life, with foods gradually being introduced around this age when signs of readiness are shown. Supplemented breast feeding is recommended until at least age two and then for as long as the mother and child wish.
Benefits
Breast feeding has several benefits for both the mother and the infant. For the infant, it provides the right balance of nutrients and helps to protect against diseases. For the mother, it can help to reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, type II diabetes, and postpartum depression.
Related Terms
- Lactation: The process of producing breast milk.
- Colostrum: The first form of milk produced by the mammary glands of mammals (including humans) immediately following delivery of the newborn.
- Lactose Intolerance: A condition in which people have symptoms due to the decreased ability to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk products.
- Mastitis: Inflammation of the breast, which can result in breast pain, swelling, warmth and redness. It can also cause flu-like symptoms such as fever and chills.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Breast Feeding
- Wikipedia's article - Breast Feeding
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski