From the author: published by Zhupieva E.I. Fundamentals of perinatal psychology: Textbook. - Irkutsk: Publishing house Vost.-Sib. state acad. image., 2010.- 69-72 p. One of the important periods when a person’s physical and mental health is formed is the prenatal period and early childhood. The state of a child’s health at these stages of development is closely related to his psychological comfort. In turn, the psychological comfort of the baby is determined by the prosperous state of the mother during pregnancy, childbirth and, which is extremely important, during breastfeeding. No, and there cannot be a more natural product for a newborn child than mother’s milk. It has an undoubted advantage over any other product; it is impossible to reproduce it exactly. Mother's milk is produced specifically for the baby's digestive system and develops the baby's immunity against diseases and infections. In addition, physical contact between mother and baby during feeding creates a feeling of security: the child experiences positive emotions and calms down. Breast milk is called the materialized tenderness of the mother. Breastfeeding is easier and faster - you always have food for your baby with you, rather than buying formula, boiling bottles and nipples, pouring in formula, stirring, cooling, etc. It is much easier to keep your baby healthy when breastfeeding. However, according to statistics, only a third of mothers in our country breastfeed for more than 3 months. The lack of milk for some mothers is not a tragedy - after all, many children grew up safely without mother's milk... It may seem to the mother that the baby does not have enough milk and is not getting enough. The most common symptom of maternal malnutrition is the crying of the baby. However, it is known that there are periods of decline in lactation. And if you do not stop breastfeeding during this period, but, on the contrary, put the baby to the breast more often, there will be more milk. The principle of supply and demand will work when as much milk is produced as is sucked out by the child. The amount of milk depends on two hormones - prolactin and oxytocin. Milk secretion depends on oxytocin, and the hormone prolactin is responsible for milk production: its amount depends on the baby’s sucking activity. Prolactin causes breast cells to produce milk. When the baby begins to breastfeed, after a while the amount of prolactin begins to increase. The production of oxytocin depends on the emotional state of the mother - this is why anxiety and emotional experiences affect the amount of milk. To determine whether the baby has enough milk, you need to note how many diapers he wets per day, if at least 6, he gains weight, is calm and satisfied, then everything is in order. WHO specialists studied the effect of drinks, which, according to many mothers, improve lactation. However, researchers have determined that the effectiveness of these drinks is low: the psychological attitude and belief that they help play more of a role. Another reason why mothers do not breastfeed is that women simply do not know how to breastfeed! Unfortunately, there is no one to teach them from. When a woman sees a newborn for the first time, she does not know how to put him to her breast. Problems with breast milk are most often caused simply by a lack of information about the proper organization of breastfeeding. In such cases, the help of a lactation consultant or a more experienced wet nurse who has successfully fed her own children is needed. Exclusive breastfeeding is most dependent on the psychological support the nursing mother receives from those around her. Breastfeeding works best in those countries where, after leaving the maternity hospital, where the mother is taught everything she needs, the woman is referred to a local maternal support group, where she can go with any question or problem related to breastfeeding. In ourIn the country there is an Interregional Public Organization "Association of Consultants on Natural Feeding and Support Groups for Nursing Mothers" founded to help all mothers who want to breastfeed. The goals of the Organization are: promotion, dissemination and support of natural feeding, dissemination of World Health Organization recommendations on breastfeeding, information and methodological support for consultants on natural feeding, promoting the development of a network of consultants and support groups for nursing mothers throughout Russia. In Irkutsk, such public maternal support groups are being formed at the city’s clinics. The group brings together several mothers who have had positive experience of childcare and breastfeeding for more than 1 year. The tasks of such a group include telephone counseling for young mothers who are faced with problems caring for a newborn and breastfeeding, and organizing meetings to exchange experiences and support. This form of group work is of great importance for increasing the duration of breastfeeding, expanding the education of young parents and providing effective assistance to health workers. The process of breastfeeding is not only a means of providing the baby with ideal food, but also an element of perinatal psychology associated with inextricable physical, visual, speech and mental contact “mother-child”, bringing joy and peace. Full breastfeeding of a baby is formed from a woman’s positive, conscious attitude towards motherhood, and in this regard her emotional state plays an important role. With free feeding, the baby receives 10–12 or more feedings per day and spends more than 6 hours at the mother's breast. Breastfeeding contributes to the development of the baby's intelligence - this is the conclusion reached by experts from King's College London (UK), Duke Universities (USA) and Otago (New Zealand). After looking at the effects of fatty acids found in human milk, scientists found that these acids promote cognitive development in the early stages of human life. In addition to the known biologically active factors in the composition of milk, recently discovered ones should be noted - in particular, opioids, which are directly related to the behavior and intellectual activity of the child, and “nerve growth factors” in the regulatory proteins of milk, which carry out interneuronal communication between the peripheral and central nervous systems. Positive the influence of breastfeeding on the neuropsychic development of children and intelligence in preschool age was noted back in 1929. C. Hoeter. At the end of the 20th century, P. Rodgers examined more than 5,000 children and found that by the age of 15, children who received natural feeding had clear advantages over formula-fed children in most tests to determine neuropsychic development. In addition, those who were exclusively breastfed for at least 3 months during infancy had higher learning and social adaptation abilities. Researchers from Denmark and the United States have found strong evidence to support the hypothesis that breast milk helps a child's mental development. These findings are based on the results of testing more than three thousand young Copenhagen residents of both sexes. The average IQ of respondents who received breast milk only during the first month of life was slightly below 100 points. If a child was breastfed for two to three months, this figure was 101.7 points, for four to six months - 102.3 points, and when breastfed until 7-9 months of age - already 106 points. An important effect of prolonged breastfeeding without complementary feeding is the consolidation of an emotionally positive attitude towards the feeding process and communication, based on the formation of persistent neuroendocrine reactions in the mother’s body. Stopping breastfeeding in infancy