Special Delivery Spring 2018 | Page 21

FOR YOU

Something loose and long to wear,

A couple of pairs of big pants,

A pack of sanitary pads,

2 towels

Toiletries,

Face spray,

Wet Wipes

Fip flops for the showers

Bendy straws so you can drink at any angle, Food and drinks for you and your partner.

Nice front opening nightie and wrap for after.

Socks for cold feet

Phone chargers.

A water bottle to use after you have been to the bathroom to clean yourself

BENEFITS FOR MUM

Studies have shown that women who breastfeed are less likely to develop:

Breast cancer: for each year a mother breastfeeds, she lowers her risk of breast cancer by around 4%.

Ovarian cancer: mothers who have never breastfed have 1.5 times the risk of ovarian cancer compared to those who breastfeed for a least 18 months.

Diabetes: compared to those who breastfeed for at least two years over their lifetime, those who never breastfeed had 1.7 times the risk of developing diabetes.

High blood pressure: women who breastfed over a year, reduced risk of high blood pressure by 8%.

Heart disease: never breastfeeding associated with a 1.3 times higher risk compared with women who breastfeed for two years or more.

The World Health Organisation, the Department of Health and many other health organisations, recommend that mothers exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months, thereafter they should be given nutritious complementary foods and continue breastfeeding up to the age of two years or beyond.