Interesting uses of breastmilk

1. Treat a sticky eye in babies

Who needs eye drops! It is common for babies to get a little sticky eye from time to time. Often it will resolve by itself or you will be advised to use a clean non- fleecing cotton pad dipped in clean cool water, previously boiled, to clean the closed eye lid. However, if you squirt a little breast milk into the eye, you may find it works wonders! Always of course seek advice from your local pharmacist to ensure it is nothing more serious that needs medical attention.

2. Sore nipples

I found that when i started breastfeeding, my nipples became very sore, although not cracked thankfully. After each feed I would rub a bit of breastmilk on them and it helped soothe the soreness. I also found Lanisoh great for this too, for those wanting an alternative for this. I would recommend asking for support with breast feeding if you are finding your nipples to be cracked, incase it is due to how the baby is latching. You can ask your health visitor or midwife for details.

3. Nasal congestion

Breastmilk is a natural anti-inflammatory. Putting breastmilk up the baby’s nose has been thought to help nasal congestion in place of saline drops. Again, if your baby has a fever or is unwell at all, please seek medical advice from your doctor or pharmacist.

4. Nappy rash

Putting breastmilk on the rash, letting it dry before applying a barrier cream to the baby’s bottom is thought to help nappy rash. If the skin is broken, or there is discharge or unusual smell, medical attention should be sought.

After a while, I got used to breastfeeding in public with a little help from Nuby breastfeeding cover.

Breastfeeding has so many benefits for both mother and baby.

At first, I struggled with getting Micah – my first baby, now 14 months, to latch. He had tongue-tie which I saw when he was born and made his first cry. Luckily, i was looking for it. I went privately to sort it out but ended up having to see an nhs consultant in the end due to the changes in the law for private practioner qualifications. I talk more about that here.

Luckily, i was able to persevere through feeding and exclusively breastfed for almost 6 months. It was not easy, but i’m sure it will be worth it in the long run for us both.