The Analgesic Effect Of Breastfeeding
Did you know that the mother’s skirt also has the function of calming the baby? In this article, we will talk a little more about the analgesic effect of breastfeeding.
For many years, the moment of giving the baby a vaccine was painful. It was difficult to make the moment less painful and traumatic.
However, some experts considered that, because they were babies, their brains could not identify or feel the pain, which is not true.
However, currently a brilliant solution has been put in place. In fact, breastfeeding can help relieve pain in babies. It can even make them not feel.
In fact, the analgesic effect of breastfeeding has already been proven by the physiology of pain through studies.
How does the analgesic effect of breastfeeding work?
The idea that the baby cannot feel pain is false. Recent studies have revealed that their brains are mature enough to process stimuli related to this sensation.
Tears are real, fear and uneasiness have foundations. For this reason, it has been scientifically proven that the analgesic effect of breastfeeding works to soothe the baby’s pain.
According to a WHO report, this method offers effective comfort and relief for several reasons.
It’s not a magic solution, but it works because it focuses on a meaningful process for the baby. Maybe he can actually cry, but he won’t feel disconsolate because he’s in the safest position for him.
Likewise, breastfeeding brings a sense of relief on its own. The baby will be quenching his thirst and practicing an ancient instinct.
It is believed that mother and child are disconnected during breastfeeding, even talking about the mother’s cloudy brain.
That is, while the mother breastfeeds, her brain goes into a kind of pause, which prevents her from processing information in the normal way.
With the baby, something similar happens and perhaps more intense. While being breastfed, he is fully focused on this function.
Sucking generates endorphins, which in turn produces a pleasant sensation. We can try to distract him, but he will certainly remain in his task. Also, he is able to relax enough to take a nap.
Breast milk also plays a role in the analgesic effect of breastfeeding. Contains lactose, which aids in the production and release of substances that produce relief.
At the same time, it also contains glucose that serves to calm the baby, due to its calming effect.
Other ways to manage the analgesic effect of breastfeeding
As expected, this solution is not applicable in all cases. The time to take a blood sample, take medication or administer vaccines to children is not always conducive to breastfeeding.
However, WHO has developed a series of recommendations guided by the same principle.
In this sense, experts explain a variant known as “motheraesthesia”. Mother anesthesia is nothing more than the universal method for calming the baby: the mother’s lap.
The mother’s arms seem to provide immediate relief. So it is an alternative in these cases.
If we are unable to breastfeed, either because we do not breastfeed or because conditions are not favorable, the following recommendations can help:
- It is advisable for the child’s mother, caregivers or trusted person to be present before, during and after giving the vaccine or treatment. It is by no means recommended that the child be deceived or left alone with medical personnel.
- If the baby breastfeeds but it is not possible to breastfeed at that time, it is advisable to breastfeed before and after receiving the injection or treatment.
- In non-infant children, the mother’s lap is an effective alternative. Likewise, it is recommended to distract them with a toy or cell phone.
The mother’s chest not only provides the baby with food, but also warmth, care and connection with the mother.
Without a doubt, when the baby breastfeeds, it is getting all the shelter and protection it needs, as well as being a feeding process.
This method promotes a bond capable of alleviating fears and pain. For this reason, it is widely approved and accepted.
