Benefits of Breastfeeding

Benefits of Breastfeeding to your baby:

1. Human milk is the perfect food for your baby.  It is all they need for the first 6 months of life.  Humans do best with human milk, most formulas are made from cow’s milk.  Human milk changes over time to meet each baby’s needs.  Human milk is easy on the digestive tracts of infants.  Human milk helps prevent constipation (although it can still happen) and  reduces colic.  Human milk has the best nutrition for brain growth and development.  Less obesity in breastfed infants.
2. Breastmilk helps your baby stay healthy and fight infection.  Fewer and less serious respiratory infections, less ear infections, less diarrhea, less eczema and less asthma.
3. Breastfed babies become healthier adults.  Many adults who were breastfed have lower cholesterol, less diabetes, less intenstinal disease and less heart disease.
4. Nursing gives your baby security and comfort.  The physical contact of breastfeeding helps your baby feel warm and protected.  Nursing is a joint effort that helps your baby develop emotionally and socially.
5. Breastmilk provides special benefits to premature infants.  They have less intestinal infections.  They are able to take oral feedings and get off IV’s faster.  Premies might have higher IQ’s and better vision than formula-fed infants. 

• Benefits of Breastfeeding/Nursing for the Mother:

1. Breastfeeding is convinient and efficient.  No bottles to clean, prepare or refrigerate.  Breastmilk is always ready, at the right temperature and the right amount.  Breastfeeding at night is quicker and easier (for some mothers….for others we nurse all night!)
2. Mothers who breastfeed benefit physically.  They produce oxytocin, which helps stop bleeding and shrinks your uterus back to normal size after delivery.  Breastfeeding burns lots of calories, thus it helps with the postpartum weight loss.  Women who breastfeed have less ovarian cancer, breast cancer and osteoporosis.
3. Moms who breastfeed have positive emotional effects.  Prolactin, the hormone that makes milk, is calming and relaxing.  Oxytocin, the milk let down hormone, is also known as the “cuddle” hormone.  Breastfeeding mothers have more confidence in their care giving skills and intuition.  Breastfeeding helps with Natural Child Spacing.  It is quite common for a mother to go without a period at all while she is nursing.  Some women’s menstrual cycle returns when their child sleeps through the night, some after a few months.

Breastfeeding articles linked below:

Once Bitten, Twice Shy…Twice Bitten, Oh my!

Postpartum issues I was NOT expecting! Going from 1 child to 2.

Tongue-Tied? Snip that Frenulum