So you might be thinking to yourself, “Breastfeeding and Islam?”
What if I told you that Allah has allowed women who are breastfeeding to be exempt from fasting? Or even, that you can have “milk siblings", better known as "wet nursing". (A topic for later)
How about this.
Breastfeeding has been seen as an obligation on mothers to give their babies a source of food and nutrition. In fact, it’s the infants proven right to be breastfed, It’s not only an obligation on the mother though.
Allah has stated in the Quran:
“but the father of the child shall bear the cost of the mother’s food and clothing on a reasonable basis”
[al-Baqarah 2:233]
The benefits have been mentioned 14 centuries ago, in the holy Quran. Even now, WHO has even made statements for women to breastfeed. So it’s even scientifically proven that women should choose breastfeeding over formula when it can be done.
As I’ve stated in my instagram story earlier, this post was in no way to shame those who do formula feed. I understand that under some circumstance that it may be the only source for your baby. But also please understand the benefits and blessings there are to breastfeeding before you make a decision to formula feed.
Mothers, breastfeeding does NOT tie you down. It’s a time to bond with your baby and for you two to have that ultimate love for one another. It may take time for you to get the hang of it, but the benefits outweigh the cons. It not only helps you and your baby bond, but it has so many health benefits for mom too! It may be the "norm" to formula feed these days, but why isn’t the natural milk from a mother, which is a source that cannot be imitated.
It’s proven that baby’s who are breastfed, have lower chances of getting colds and viruses. And if they do end up getting sick, they’ll recover quicker. Why? Because the mothers milk produced antibodies that are specific to what infection the baby has. SubhanAllah! Just look how beautifully designed it was made to protect our babies. Our creator made sure of this.
But let’s take a scientific approach to how our bodies can detect if our babies need special antibodies according to their sickness or infection.
It’s called the Baby Backwash Effect. (Info from @birthwavesmidwifery)
When your baby is nursing, they create a vacuum with their mouths. When your baby makes that vacuum, their saliva is sucked back into your nipple, and that’s when your mammary glands read the signals. This effect has all the information about your babys immune system, so then your breasts milk adjusts to the components of the immune system. You can read more about the amazing effects it has for our babies on her post (linked above)!
While we talk about the joys of breastfeeding, there are sometimes some rough patches moms can go through, which is okay! But often times, moms seem to want to give up and go for the easier route. What moms aren’t told very often is that it’s okay for things to be hard for a while! It’s okay to seek advice from different medical professionals about ways to continue nursing. If you want to be heard and listened to, you have to make sure that you are going to someone who wants to help you.
I want to end it here and not drag it on, even though it‘s a topic that can be talked about for hours on end. Moms, educate yourselves even if you’ve already breastfed your babies. And don’t feel bad if you haven’t. Continue being their for your child/ren and be their support.