How Breastfeeding Benefits Both Mother And Baby

Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts (i.e., via lactation) rather than using infant formula. It's also good for your baby's health and for your health, too. Experts recommend that children be breastfed within one hour of birth, exclusively breastfed for the first six months, and then breastfed until age two with age-appropriate, but the decision to breastfeed is up to you. This handout explains the benefits of breastfeeding so you can decide how you wish to feed your baby.

Benefits of breast feeding as a form of baby nutrition

• Breast milk provides all the food and fluid your baby needs to grow. 

• Breast milk is always available. As soon as your baby is born, a hormone is released by your body that tells your breasts to produce milk. The more your baby feeds, the more milk your breasts make. 

• Breast milk is convenient. It is always at the right temperature and does not require measuring or special preparation. 

• Breast milk saves money. Breast milk is natural and free. Plus, you don't need to buy formula, extra bottles, or other feeding supplies for your baby. 

• Breastfeeding is safe for the environment. Breast milk does not require packaging and doesn't waste paper, glass, tin, plastic, or rubber. Purchased milk substitute products do require packaging. 

• Breastfeeding provides comfort to your baby. By holding your baby close to your skin, you provide warmth to your baby, as well as create a bond between you and your baby that no one else can replace.

• Breastfeeding helps your baby's brain to develop. Studies show that children who are breastfed have higher intelligence scores (by an average of seven points) than those who are fed breast milk substitutes. 

• Breastfeeding helps your baby grow into a healthy adult. Studies show that people who were breastfed have fewer health problems such as diabetes, asthma, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, allergies, skin problems, and lymphoma, as well as a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke.

• Babies who are breastfed for at least six months* have fewer health problems than babies who are fed breast milk substitutes.

What benefits do breastfeed babies have?

• Decreased health care costs 

• Less diarrhea, constipation, and stomach problems because breast milk is easy for babies to digest 

• Fewer instances of: allergies; asthma; obesity; psoriasis; diabetes; ear, urinary tract, and  respiratory infections; and fewer serious illnesses such as bacterial  meningitis, childhood cancers and botulism because breast milk contains the mother's antibodies (disease-fighting cells), which are passed to the baby 

• Fewer trips to the doctor 

• Less tooth decay 

• Good oral development from sucking at the breast 

• A significantly decreased risk of  sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

*It is currently recommended that breastfeeding continue for at least twelve months, and thereafter for as long as desired by you and your baby.

What benefits do mums derive from breastfeeding?

• Breastfeeding causes uterine contractions right after birth, leading to less bleeding 

• Breastfeeding helps your uterus shrink to its normal size and burns extra calories, helping you get in shape faster

• Breastfeeding reduces your risk of ovarian cancer and pre-menopausal breast cancer

• Breastfeeding reduces your risk of developing osteoporosis 

References :

• http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living 

• wikipedia.org/wiki/Breastfeeding