The many uses of breastmilk may surprise you! It was eye-opening for my family.
My then 14-year-old daughter worked in a pizza parlor and dropped a whole pie on her hand, cheese side down! FYI, the oven temperature was 500 degrees. This was bad, VERY bad but we managed to heal her burn with breastmilk swabs on her hand for a week–nothing else! She is 27 now and there is no evidence of this fiasco. Thankfully, she did not need skin grafts or other medication, breastmilk did the trick. The proof is in the pudding (or milk). We were sold and have been ever since.
The many uses of breastmilk are likely to help alleviate the dilemma of throwing away any forgotten bags in the freezer. Or help a mom who drips from one side while feeding on the other. Unless it smells rancid, there is no reason to discard this amazing food. You probably didn’t know how useful human milk could be, besides the obvious. This substance is deserving of serious applause, it clinches the wow factor. Naturally occurring in a woman’s body after childbirth, this fluid can save lives!
In case you need reminding, these are the basic benefits of breastfeeding in a nutshell, the food transferred from mom to baby!
- species-specific
- portable
- right temperature
- convenient
- saves time
- saves money
- reduces the risk of cancer for mother and baby
- reduces many diseases for mother and baby
- reduces the chance of postpartum depression
- burns calories and helps with maternal weight loss
- reduces the chance of infection in the baby
- reduces the chances of SIDS
- colostrum seals the newborn gut, creating the perfect microbiome
- reduces chance of NEC
- saves the earth
- lowers the risk of cancer
- lowers the risk of heart conditions
For those moms that don’t produce a ton of extra milk, don’t despair. You really don’t need much to appreciate these miraculous benefits. If you are exclusively breastfeeding and not working or pumping routinely, just add a pumping in 1x per week and freeze that milk. Your little one will still have plenty of milk straight from the tap.
Drum roll, please…
The many benefits of breastmilk below can be used in a variety of ways; salve, soap, dropper, compress, soaked, ice pack, ice pop, etc. Use your imagination, in a pinch, just pour the milk in a bathtub with a child (or adult). You can’t go wrong or overdose on human milk!
- conjunctivitis
- ear infections
- sinus infections
- burns
- skin problems
- acne
- sore nipples
- yeast infection
- bacterial infection
- diaper rash
- eczema dermatitis
- umbilical cord
- diaper dermatitis
- sore throat
- blocked tear ducts
- teething
- circumcision healing
- itching, stinging
- burns
- warts
- insect bites
- stuffy nose
- anti-aging
- canker sores
- milk baths for skin hydration
- puffy eyes
- colds and flu
Quite frankly, there is never an age that children outgrow the benefits of human milk. The benefits of your child having human milk don’t go away because the child turns 1 or 2, etc. If you have weaned your little one but have more frozen milk, feel free to serve it up. It comes in handy at flu season in a smoothie, ice pops or just in cooking and the best part is anyone can benefit-not just the littles. The antibodies can keep your whole family healthy all sick-season long. Drink up!
P.S.
If you are pregnant and can feel your baby move, you are producing colostrum (the first milk). Feel free to express a little by hand to aid in, chapped skin or a cold. It only takes a few drops. *If you are a high-risk patient, talk to your doctor about nipple stimulation, first. If you have the ok for intercourse, it’s usually safe to stimulate nipples.
Happy Parenting!