Breastfeeding — The Benefits For You And Your Baby

Breastfeeding is the best for your health, and for your baby's. But because of the common perception that breastfeed is hard, we'll start with some nice practical benefits that are great reasons to nurse your baby:

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  Breastfeeding is free. Formula is really expensive.

• Breastfeeding is hassle-free too. Your breasts always come with you, and your baby's food is always fresh and readily accessible at the right temperature. You never have to worry that you may run out.

  Read More: How to Increase Lactation and Breastfeeding with Herbs and Diet

  You never have to make any late-night trips to the store to get your baby food. And, if you co-sleep with your baby, you never even have to get up to feed your baby, and you'll get more sleep than you would if you formula fed. 

• Breastfeeding promotes mother-baby bonding.

• Breastfeeding helps protect your baby from infections and diseases, because of antibodies present it it.

Research into the benefits of breastfeeding — and how breastfeeding compares to even the latest advances in baby formula — is always ongoing. The benefits that we currently know about may not be the only ones. So far, studies have established that breastfed babies have a high IQ on average, have a lower chance of being obese later in life, and have lower cholesterol as adults. These babies are less likely get get ear infections and upper respiratory infections, and are less prone to develop the flu or pneumonia.

Breastfed babies have a lower risk of diarrhea (particularly significant in developing countries, where diarrhea can kill), and a lower risk of developing digestive disorders such as Crohn's Disease if they were nursed exclusively for six months. But there's more. Breastfed babies have a lower risk of eczema, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and urinary tract infections.

Does that sound good, so far? Just imagine wording these facts differently. You'd start with “formula-fed babies tend to have a lower IQ, a greater chance of being obese...” and continue from there. The exercise may terrify you.

Breastfeeding also has some interesting advantages for moms. Most significantly, breastfeeding lowers your risk of getting breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The longer you breastfeed, the more your risk decreases. Because breastfeeding uses around 500 calories a day and breastfeeding moms tend to watch what they eat for their babies' sake, these moms are also more likely to return to their pre-pregancy weight sooner.

And there you have it. Breast is still best. Breast milk is the normal form of infant nutrition, especially made by moms for their babies. An individual mom's milk is composed specifically to meet her baby's need — for as long as they both need it to. 

Are you a pregnant woman who really wants to breastfeed, or a mom who is running into some difficulties with nursing? Please do go back and re-read the first section, to remind you that you may need support. That support is available. Are you a mom who genuinely cannot breastfeed? Formula was made for moms like you, and babies like yours. There is, therefore, no need to guilt-trip yourself. You may like to look into the availability of donor breast milk to convey some of the benefits of breastfeeding to you baby, though.