A guy’s guide to understanding breastmilk!

Did you know, in China, breast milk is seen as the “drink of the wealthy” among the inhabitants of Shenzhen. In parts of China, there is the belief that human breast milk contains the most nutritional value for people that are ill, reports the Southern Metropolis Daily.

“Breastfeeding burns calories! The female body burns almost 20 calories to make just 30 mls of breast milk.”

Now I’m not suggesting drink it by the glass, or drink it at all for that matter, but here is a little information to better help fellow guys understand what this breastmilk thing is all about.

Breastfeeding was something my wife was determined to do and fortunately, both babies latched from the very first feed at only a few minutes old. As a guy, I was not so clued up, I didn’t understand what the big fuss was about… you know, it’s not something we can really relate to.

On days when my wife had to push past the pain and persevere, I found myself saying “If it’s too sore, let’s move her onto formula” This statement was not received well and so began my education into the world of breastmilk.

Milly had done her research and sat me down to educate me on all she knew. This is what I learnt:

• Breast milk naturally has all the nutrients babies need to grow and develop.
• Breast milk has antibodies that can help prevent your baby from getting sick.
• Breastfeeding can help prevent health problems in your baby, such as allergies, eczema, ear infections, and stomach problems.
• Breastfed babies are less likely to be hospitalized with breathing infections.
• Breastfed babies are less likely to become obese or have diabetes.
• Mothers who breastfeed find it easier to lose weight after pregnancy.
• Breastfeeding may help lower the risk for breast and ovarian cancers, diabetes, and certain other diseases in mothers.

One morning our daughter Gia, woke up to an inflamed, red and sore looking eye, I was ready to dash out  to see what we could get, and Milly said “don’t worry, I will put breastmilk in her eye” Why would you do that? Was my initial thought, but she then proceeded to explain that breastmilk is known to treat eye infections in babies. By the afternoon, Gia’s eye was back to normal.

Even more astonishing, breastfeeding burns calories! The female body burns almost 20 calories to make just 30 mls of breast milk. If baby eats 500-900 mls a day, that’s anywhere between 380-600 calories burned, explains why my wife is almost thinner than she was before she fell pregnant, and why I am slugging around with the extra kilos from Milly’s pregnancy cravings. Not fair!

Time for me to hit the gym again, the only difference is that I will have to sweat it out in order to burn 600 calories!

Don had always wanted to write, but his thoughts were always clouded when it came to deciding what to write about. He became a father in December 2015, and in January 2016 The Don Father was born. He had found his inspiration, and the rest they say, is history. Don is the father of two gorgeous children, he is the husband to Milly and an award winning blogger.

You can find Don over on The Don Father

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