World Breastfeeding Week, August 1-7, 2021

World Breastfeeding Week, August 1-7, 2021, is a global campaign to raise awareness and galvanize action on themes related to breastfeeding.

Five Things That Make Women’s Breasts Sag Quickly

The breast seems to be one part of a woman’s body that means different things to different people, and that could be the reason why women pay so much attention to it.

Beyond the fact that it is the source of food for a newborn baby, men see it as more of sex organ that makes sex: more pleasurable, and for women, apart from its being important for breastfeeding after childbirth and being a body part that enhances their outlook, it is one of the routes to sexual satisfaction, as findings have shown that handling the breasts is one of the quickest ways for women to reach orgasm.

 

 

Meanwhile, it has also been found that the firmness or otherwise of those two soft, protruding organs influence women’s self esteem, and they also impact on how attractive they are to men.

The breasts tend to sag with age and after childbirth and or breastfeeding. But be that as it may, there are some human activities that could increase the likelihood of sagging.

So, given the much importance men and women attach to the firmness of a woman’s breasts, it seems helpful for women to know how best the breasts should be treated to avoid sagging (quickly).

Mismanaged breastfeeding: It is largely assumed that a woman’s breasts tend to sag after pregnancy and breastfeeding, and this is entirely understandable because of the release of some hormones and the secretion of milk which could increase the size of the breasts. In fact, some people assume that with the way the baby draws the Tips in the process of suckling the mother’s breasts, the breasts would lose firmness and end up being droopy afterwards. But those assumptions may not be true. According to a gynaecologist, Dr. Bolanle Shukra-Okesina, women can retain the firmness of their breasts even after breastfeeding, depending on how the woman manages the breasts during and after the period.

She said, “Breastfeeding does not make the breasts to sag. If the woman uses the appropriate bra size and she takes enough of fluid, especially water, when breastfeeding, the breasts will not sag, even after breastfeeding. Also, during pregnancy, the woman is expected to change the size of her bra as the breasts increase in size. She is supposed to use the appropriate size at every stage because the breasts need to be supported by a firm bra.

“When the milk stops after breastfeeding, the breasts would on their own go back to their normal size. So, if the woman does the right thing, the breasts have no reason to sag.

Crash diet – This factor particularly applies to women who are watching their weight and are doing everything to lose some weight, especially people who are obese, because according to Shukra-Okesina, losing weight could make the breasts to sag. She said in the process of losing weight, a breast would also give up its fat and some ligaments and if the diet is deficient of fat and some calcium-building elements, it would eventually sag. “If a woman who is watching her diet is not taking balanced diet, perhaps to lose some fat, it can make the breast to sag,” she explained.

Furthermore, a breast surgeon and president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Michael Edwards, in his piece on Women’sHealth, said, “Each time a woman gains and loses weight, breast tissue becomes slack.” He also believes that excessive exposure to the ultraviolet rays from the sun could take its toll on the breasts by stretching out the connective tissues and damaging the skin.

Wrong bra size: One other factor that has been found to influence the firmness or otherwise of the breasts is whether women use the bra that is appropriate for their breast size. According to the gynaecologist, the breasts would likely sag if women with (relatively) big breasts do not use the size of bra that can lift the breasts and keep them in position.

And for women who wear the kind of bras that make the breasts to shake, perhaps to appear buxom, Edwards warned that the more the breasts bounce around, the more the skin of the breasts and collagen would be stressed, eventually leading to sagging. Thus, women should wear bras that keep the breasts intact and in shape.

Smoking: This act has been found to have serious adverse effects on the human system, especially the functionality or efficiency of some internal organs, but not many would know when women smoke, it tends to have some effects on their breasts. Edwards had this to say, “Any amount of smoking weakens and ages skin by decreasing the blood supply to the skin surface, and the breasts are not spared in this.” and according to a consultant endocrinologist, Dr. Olamoyegun Michael, smoking weakens the ligaments that hold the breasts, which could ultimately lead to sagging.

Wrong exercise: No doubt, exercise is good for the body, and people across all age groups are advised to engage in it. In fact, there are exercises that help to make the breasts firm, including push-ups and lifting dumbbells. But it has been found that some exercises are inimical to the firmness of the breasts, especially running. Findings show that when a woman is running and she is not wearing the appropriate bra, like a fitted sports bra, the breasts would naturally be moving up and down, which can lead to the breakdown of the connecting tissues, leading to sagging eventually. For those who are able to, findings have also shown that weight lifting also helps to make the breasts firm as it strengthens the muscles underlying the breasts. So, if you have the capacity, try it.

There are myths surrounding breasts sagging, and among them are excessive suckling or handling and abstinence from bra. But according to Olamoyegun, suckling the breasts or handling them does not lead to sagging.

In effect, doing the needful while breastfeeding, eating balanced diet and in reasonable quantity, avoiding too much exposure to sunlight, abstinence from smoking and doing the right exercises could reduce the likelihood of sagging.

source: madailygist

Women Who Breastfeed Frequently Are Less Prone to Breast Cancer

The Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Dr. Jide Idris, has stated that women who breastfeed their babies frequently are less prone to ovarian and breast cancer, as well as diabetes later in their life.

He said the health benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for the recommended period in a child’s life was not only beneficial to the child, but could improve the mother’s health, as well as prevent certain health issues in both mother and child.

Idris, who spoke during the commemoration of the 2016 World Breastfeeding Week, also noted that breastfeeding could help in child spacing, such that the mother would recover fully from childbirth before having another pregnancy, which he noted would also help the child as well to develop properly. “

He said children who were exclusively breastfed have higher immunity, higher intelligence quotient, as well as becoming better adults in life, adding that breast milk has antibodies that protects children against infection. “Also, children who get exclusive breast milk have lower chances of getting obese,” the commissioner added.

On his part, the Special Adviser to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Primary Health Care (PHC), Dr. Olufemi Onanuga, said only 28 per cent of mothers in Lagos exclusively breastfeed their new babies for at least six months, adding that 72 per cent of mothers in Lagos were not observing the healthy practise.

Onanuga said exclusive breastfeeding and adequate complementary feeding were part of the key interventions for improving child survival and had the potential of saving about 20 per cent of under five children from morbidity and mortality. According to him, about 50–60 per cent of under-five mortality cases were largely due to malnutrition, caused by poor breastfeeding practices and inadequate complementary feeding.

While observing that the national percentage was way lower, at 17 per cent of exclusive breastfeeding rate, he said that of Lagos, which is 28 per cent must be increased, hence the need for more awareness on the benefit of the practise.

He said in Lagos, “statistics has shown that only 22.6 per cent of children were breastfed within one day of birth while 25.9 per cent of children born in Lagos State were breastfed appropriately, (2013 MICS 4). The practice of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life and the introduction of adequate complementary diet till the first two years of life are integral part to child survival and optimal growth. Our future is in our hands which can be guaranteed with the provision of adequate diet to children for optimal brain growth,” he
said.

The special adviser said it was for this reason that the state government institutionalised the extension of the maternity leave to six months and also introduced two weeks paternity leave, adding that wise nursing mothers were expected to make effective use of this long holiday to exclusively breastfeed their babies.

He said the objectives of the 2016 Breastfeeding Week included sensitising the public
that the provision of adequate nutrition for children at all age groups was the first step towards the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG); firmly anchoring breastfeeding as a key component of sustainable development; galvanising a variety of actions at all levels of breastfeeding in the new era of the SDGs and engaging and collaborating with a wider range of actors around the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding.

“Collectively, we must ensure the survival of our children to guaranty our tomorrow. The efforts of this administration are geared towards the promotion of maternal and child survival strategies,” he said. He said to celebrate the week, the state government lined up a number of activities, including creation of public awareness on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, among others.