August 1-7th is World Breastfeeding Week, an event celebrated all over the globe to encourage and promote breastfeeding awareness.  Breastfeeding has been around as long as man, and yet, to many it seems about as foreign as Mars. Ever since their start in 1956, La Leche League has had one goal, "To help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education, and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother."
 
By now, everyone should realize the absolutely amazing health benefits of mother's milk for infants. It supplies all the vital nutrients, minerals, proteins, vitamins, enzymes, antibodies and more to get babies through their first stages of life. Its life-saving properties can even help protect the young during times of pandemics, such as the swine flu. Breastfeeding encourages optimal neurological programming and development of the baby, and is the best way for a mom and baby to bond. Yet many mothers struggle with the very real reality that they cannot, for a variety of reasons, seem to breastfeed. This article discusses options for moms who want to breastfeed to "get over the hump" and get the help that they or their babies need.
 
It is becoming increasingly obvious that more women and babies than ever before are having difficulties nursing. Breastfeeding difficulties can affect the mom or the baby. Some of them are failure to latch, biting the nipple, choking, gagging, frequently pulling off breast, unable to fully open mouth, short feeding times, wanting one breast only, difficulty turning head to feed, excessive crying, fussiness at breast, low weight gain, gas, bloating, low milk production, painful nipples, and too weak or strong let down reflex.

 

Read more on natural ways to resolve breastfeeding issues.