Breast milk is called liquid gold for a reason. We hear all about the benefits it can provide for babies. We even know of a few good things it can do for mommy. However, there are some alternative uses for breast milk that you may not yet be aware of.
READ: How to increase your breast milk supply
I have written before about the benefits of breastfeeding and also about the benefits of extended breastfeeding. For both mommy and baby. For instance, some research says that breastfeeding lowers the mother’s risk of getting certain cancers. Let us consider breast milk itself and what it is said to be good for. What can it cure?
What is breast milk good for?
- Diaper dermatitis
Depending on the cause of your baby’s diaper dermatitis or diaper rash, breast milk on the rash may work better to clear it up then a diaper cream.
- Conjunctivitis
It is not uncommon for newborns to have eye infections. Studies present conflicting reports but there are many moms who swear by breast milk on your baby’s eye helping to cure an eye infection very quickly.
- Umbilical cord care
Research has found that, due to its antibacterial properties, breastmilk applied to the umbilical cord right after a baby is born reduces the amount of time before the cord separates and also lowers the level of bacterial colonisation.
- Painful and sore nipples
Particularly in the early weeks of breastfeeding, you may experience not just pain and discomfort but also cracked, sore and possibly bleeding nipples. Some moms find that dabbing some breast milk around their nipples after feeding works faster for them to heal than nipples creams that contain lanolin,for example. that’s some free healing for your sore nipples!
READ: How to win the best husband award when you have a breastfeeding wife
- Treating sunburns
For both adults and babies or children, sunburns can be treated with breast milk. Gently dabbing some breast milk on the affected areas can provide pain relief from the burn and heal it faster as well.
- Curing fungal infections
As we’ve learned, breast milk’s antibacterial properties make it useful for fighting infections. Breast milk’s healing properties apparently extend to fungal infections like ringworm, for example. Can breast milk cure ringworm? We can’t say for sure but there are certainly moms who swear by it!
- Sorting out adult acne
Breast milk has natural lauric acid which the skin likes for its antibacterial properties. Lauric acid fights acne effectively. This is one of those sweet alternative uses of breast milk that moms can enjoy if they are struggling with hormonal breakouts postpartum.
- Clearing baby acne
As your baby’s body goes through the process of clearing out your hormones from their body, they may get a breakout of acne. You can soak a clean cotton pad in some breast milk and dab it gently on their face. It tends to work quite quickly.
- Making ice lollies
Who knew breast milk could have such a fun use? Ice lollies make for excellent teething relief for baby. In the summer months and warmer climates, these make for a great snack for babies.
- Making soap
Now that we’ve learned how good breast milk can be for sore nipples and adult and baby acne, it should be no surprise that it can also be used to make some awesome skin-friendly soap too. People say it leaves your skin feeling super soft. Breast milk on skin seems to generally work wonders for some people.
- Make some ice cream, yoghurt and cheese
Yummy. Yes, because breastmilk is milk after all! The same way you can make ice cream, yoghurt and cheese out of cow’s or goat’s milk, you can make some yummy baby-friendly ice cream, yoghurt and cheese with breast milk.
No wonder breast milk is so special!
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great! I used BM for sore nipples, It worked like magic, never thought of other uses.