The Benefits of Breastfeeding

It has come to be an undeniable fact that breastfeeding is the best food for your baby. It is highly being recommended by doctors and hospitals and organisations are even providing facilities to accomodate breastfeeding mothers and their babies. It provides the perfect nutrients and has many known benefits as listed below. Yet, in my experience, you will still get opposition from others, as I've experienced myself. In my case, it was no other than my own family members!!! I've got the myths of breastfeeding listed here, in case you need to point them out to your opposition parties.

 
  • A mother's milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water and protein that is needed for a baby's growth and development. If a direct comparison is made between a child fed with formula milk and a child fed with mother's milk, usually the child fed with formula milk would be overweight.
  • Most babies find it easier to digest breast milk than they do formula. The proportion of protein in mother's milk is lower than in cow's milk, making it more digestible. Infants also have an easier time absorbing the important micronutrients in breast milk than those in cow's milk.
  • Breast milk has antibodies that help protect babies from infection and disease. Breastfed babies are less subject to lower respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, ear infections and septicemia. Virtually no baby is allergic to breast milk, while certain substances in cow's milk can trigger allergic responses. They are usually healthier and the rates of constipation and diarrhea are lower in breast-fed children.
  • Human milk straight from the breast is always sterile, never improperly prepared, contaminated or spoiled. You do not have to measure and mix formula, and there are no bottles to warm in the middle of the night.
  • It is also very convenient for the mother. It is always available, and at just the right temperature.
  • Even if you decide to extract/collect and keep the milk, it can be stored for a long time. All it needs is a proper pump and storage facilities and methods. You will be surprised on how long you can store breast milk.
  • Breastfeeding saves considerable amount of time and money. If you are just starting a family or seriously looking into planning your finances properly, do consider breastfeeding for your family!!!
  • Breastfeeding also helps a mother bond with her baby. Physical contact is important to newborns and can help them feel more secure, warm and comforted.
  • Breastfeeding is not only good for the child, but also to the mother. Nursing uses up extra calories, making it easier to lose the pounds gained from pregnancy. It also helps the uterus to get back to its original size more quickly and lessens any bleeding a woman may have after giving birth. Apart from that, it may lower the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
  • Children who are breast-fed for 6 months or longer may be smarter than their peers who nursed for less than 3 months, study findings suggest. Researchers believe that these findings are explained by biological factors in breast milk. They noted that infant formula does not contain several essential fatty acids and growth factors that are present in breast milk.