Pregnancy: Your body is amazing

So, you have a bun in the oven, what excitement and changes to come. 

Being pregnant is something to celebrate. Pregnancy is such an amazing miracle of life and is a time of learning. You learn so much about what your body can do. Can you imagine growing your own little human? It that not totally amazing? 

Pregnancy gives you time to get ready for the birthing and beyond that? Pregnancy is a fantastic time to learn, this way you can make informed choices about your pregnancy care, birth experience and afterwards. There are important things that you need to know about to have a safe and healthy pregnancy. You need to go for regular check ups with your health care provider to monitor you for hypertension, diabetes, infections, and anaemia. You will also then know how your baby is growing. One of the most special times is hearing your baby’s heartbeat for the first time.  You can also learn more about healthy eating and what supplements to take while you are pregnant, how to exercise safely, the different ways that your baby can be delivered and how you will look after your baby once she is born. 

This is the perfect time to learn more about breast feeding. The more you know about feeding before you give birth the easier it will be. If you understand about how breast milk is made you will be mor confidant in your body’s ability to make milk. If you know different ways to latch and what a deep latch it is will make the actual feeding so much easier.  Understanding what to expect and normal baby behaviour really helps when you are learning to breast feed. Did you know that a newborn can drink between 8 to 12 times in 24 hours? 

Include your partner in all the baby related discussions because the both of you can learn and attend classes together. Did you know that your partner plays such an important role in breast feeding? Yes this is true, they can be so helpful with making you comfortable, getting baby in the correct positions for feeding, keeping you hydrated and fed. Not to mention all the other practical things that they can help with like dishes, cooking, bathing siblings and shopping. 

My Breastpump is so passionate about breastfeeding, education and pumping. Here are a few reasons why, but there are so many more. Breast feeding has positive effects for both mom and baby. Lets start with mom; breast feeding helps to reduce the risk of a variety of cancers, can reduce the risk of developing Diabetes by half if you breast feed for longer than 6 months, you burn between 300-500 calories a day, helps to return your womb to its original size (yes that means it helps to reduce the size of your tummy after birth), the hormones of breast feeding also helps to reduce stress and depression. 

Now for some of the benefits for baby. It reduces the risk of illness including flu, COVID, diarrhoea, childhood cancers, eczema and ear infections. Breast milk helps to teach the baby’s immune system how to fight infections by passing on the information from the mother’s immune system. Therefore, if a mother is sick, she can continue to breast feed her baby. This is just so amazing! Other benefits are that the muscles used to breast feed help your baby to learn to eat and speak. 

There are so many different places that you can learn about birthing. It is a good idea to learn more about the difference between a natural birth, c-section and v-bac? Why would you need a Pilates ball, is walking good in labour, what should I pack or even how to choose a good health care provider? What are the pro and cons with each and why would you prefer one birthing type over the other? These are all important and common questions that moms have. My Breastpump have been working closely with Origin Mother and Baby clinic and love the free and paid for classes that they offer to pregnant mothers. You have the option of online or face to face workshops. The Origin antenatal classes give you valuable information about creating your birthing plan, the role of Doula’s, Midwives, pro and cons about midwife lead or hospital lead birthing. They have great interactive conversations with qualified health care professionals. For more information about their pregnancy workshops have a look at their website . Another great pregnancy and mommy classes are BuB Hub   as they also have baby classes to help you bond and stimulate your baby as they get older. It is so lovely to join a mommy group and find your tribe. 

As an extra service to you, My Breastpump provides an hour online personalised breastfeeding workshop for you and your partner. To book the workshop for yourself follow this www.mybreastpump.co.za. You can also find out who your local South African Certified Breastfeeding Consultants or IBCLC is. This way if you need assistance, you will know who to call and how to set up an appointment with them. 

Why not follow the “My Breastpump” social media pages on Facebook and Instagram where we share great information around breast feeding and pumping? We give information on positioning and good latching, positive stories about breast feeding and also guidelines on how to choose a breast pump, when and how to pump and pumping while back at work. Our page on Facebook is @mybreastpumpsa and @my_breastpumpsa on Instagram. You are welcome to DM us if you are needing more information around pumps and pumping. 

Enjoy your pregnancy, embrace it and learn about all the weird and wonderful things that you body is doing. You will be amazed at how strong your body is and how prepared you can be for birthing. Your little baby is growing and becoming stronger each day.