Breast Milk Does What?! 5 Surprising Facts

The benefits of breast milk when it comes to nourishing your infant (or toddler) are pretty incredible. Some of them include:

• It's easier to digest.
• It has all the nutrients and calories that your baby needs to be healthy.
• It has growth factors that make sure your babies organs develop properly.
• It changes as your infant (or toddler's) needs change.
• It allows for the transfer of Mom's immunities to baby.

But, besides nutrition, breast milk is still pretty awesome and can be used in ways other than feeding your child.





I'm sure you're thinking I'm nuts at this point.  I mean, it's not coconut oil, which has a list of over 100 uses floating around on the internet!  Just stick with me for a bit longer while I share some other uses for breast milk and why I think it really has earned the nickname "Liquid Gold!"









1. Pink eye - not in our house!  When Lucas was three or four months old he got pink eye.  I squirted some milk in his eye several times that day.  We also did warm compresses of Golden Seal tea.  Again, by the next morning his eye was completely better.  No antibiotics needed (even though I filled the Rx, just in case).





2. Breast milk is great for babies sensitive skin.  It's been COLD this winter and L's skin is really
showing the signs.  My poor little guy has rough, scaly patches on his arms and legs.  I had an extra ounce of milk in the refrigerator that was about to go bad.  I poured a that in the bath with him one night and, I kid you not, his skin was so much better the next day.  This is a great use for milk that maybe have been left on the counter over night (we've all been there, right!) or that's sat in the refrigerator for a few days too many.  




3. It can heal a cut.  Similar to helping with L's dry skin issues, I've placed a little expressed milk on scratches he's gotten on his face and neck and they heal so quickly - like overnight.  I hate my little guy's face being all scratched up, but it happens all the time.  I little bit of expressed BM and he's healed up in no time.

4. Stuffy noses and earaches are no match for breast milk either.  I'm currently in Disney World celebrating L's first birthday with my family and I got sick!  I was a little congested before we left and the plane ride wrecked havoc on my congestion and ears.  I wanted to avoid medication but was really feeling miserable.  At 5:30am I found myself in a hotel bathroom, hand expressing milk into a plastic hotel cup and then using a syringe to place a few drops in my ears and nose.  Yes, it was a little unpleasant but holy heck did it help!  I could feel the pressure releasing from my ears a few hours later and I have blown my nose so much less today.

5. It can rid you of acne, well, baby acne at least!  I used to put a little expressed milk on L's face when he'd get an outbreak of baby acne in those first few weeks.  It worked like a charm and cleared him right up.

Well, those are my favorite uses for breast milk, other than feeding of course.  Have you used breast milk in some other way?  Share you 'secret' uses for breast milk in the comments below or head over to our Facebook page and let us know your tips there.