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Everything you need to know about breastfeeding

Andrea Huls
8 min readJul 20, 2021

It’s beautiful but a lot harder than I had imagined.

Women who choose to breastfeed need a lot more support in today’s society.

In my heart, I felt it was the best thing I could do for my child.

While getting ready to welcome my firstborn, I read as much as I could on the subject. It became even clearer that breastfeeding would be highly beneficial to both my child and me.

I’ve been successfully breastfeeding for a year and a half. It has not always been easy, but I’m genuinely happy with my decision.

With support, most women can successfully breastfeed. (Unless there are exceptional circumstances involved: health issues, premature birth, etc.)

Unfortunately, many women don’t receive the support they need in the first few hours or days after their child is born.

General benefits of breastfeeding

Nursing allows mothers to have skin-to-skin contact with their newborns, which helps keep them warm and calm and steady their heart rate, breathing and temperature.

Furthermore, nursing helps mothers bond with their babies. (Although, it's certainly not the only way a parent can bond with their child).

Breastmilk changes as babies grow and develop and protects them from bugs and germs. But, overall, it helps them build a…

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Andrea Huls
Andrea Huls

Written by Andrea Huls

Writer, documentary filmmaker, photographer, feminist, and mother. I write about mental health, women's issues, UX, and everything in between.

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