Breastfeeding week has started, every year a week that celebrated breastfeeding starts from August 1 to 7th of the same month. Breastfeeding, indeed is an important subject that requires more attention and understanding than what most people think. Especially in a country like India, where breastfeeding is a taboo subject, lack of awareness about breastfeeding has seriously affected the lives of both mothers and babies. A mother's breast milk supports immune responses in her infant until six months minimum and has also proven to decrease the risk of infections, malnourishment, allergies, and other major complications. It is also very important to talk more about breastfeeding because, there is no alternative in the world that can replicate the nutritional value and its effects on the human body. 5 Myths About Breastfeeding We Should Stop Believing In.

There is hardly any conversation about problems faced by breastfeeding moms, while there exist so many! It is equally important to raise awareness about breastfeeding benefits as it is to talk about breastfeeding issues. 14 Advantages of Breastfeeding For The Baby and The Mom.

Common breastfeeding problems and their solutions:

Sore or cracked nipples: One of the most common problems faced by breastfeeding moms is sore or cracked nipples. This usually happens when the baby is not positioned right or may sometimes happen without any particular cause. If the discomfort doesn't stop you might want to visit an expert.

Lack of breast milk: There are some women that suffer from decreased breast milk production. A little bit of improvement in your diet, correct positioning of the baby and offering your baby both breasts may help stimulate your milk supply. World Breastfeeding Week 2019: Foods to Improve Milk Production in Breastfeeding Moms and also, From Coffee to Cabbage, Here Are Foods That Nursing Moms Should Not Eat!

Excessive breast milk: Sometimes there are issues with breastfeeding mother forming from excessive breastmilk. Remember, that if excessive milk is not removed from the body it may cause breast engorgement and other discomforts. Whenever, your breasts feel heavy, collect some milk via breast pump and store them.

Breast abscess: Now this a gradual process, you don't directly suffer from abscess but it starts with breast engorgement, wherein your breasts get filled with excessive milk and begin to feel hard, tight and painful. So when breast engorgement continues, your milk ducts can get blocked and you may feel like a tender lump in your breasts, very similar to breast tumours. This if not paid attention to can lead to mastitis, an inflammation of the breast that happens when a blocked milk duct is not relieved. The last stage of this problem is breast abscess that happens if the mastitis is not treated or doesn't respond to the treatment. This may require an operation.

Thrush infections: Thrush infections can sometimes happen when your nipples become cracked or damaged. This means the candida fungus that causes thrush can get into your nipple or breast. If you suspect you or your baby has a thrush infection, see your health visitor or GP.

Breastmilk protects the babies against common illnesses such as diarrhoea and studies have also found that women who breastfeed have a lower risk of diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease later in life.  Formula feeding is well known to increase the risk of obesity in children. Our findings suggest, however, that when breastfeeding mothers do not eat a moderate and healthy diet, there can also be increased risks of various health problems in the offspring, including obesity, diabetes, advanced puberty and reduced fertility

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 04, 2019 09:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).