Why is breast milk best for your baby?
Breast milk has important advantages formulas can't match:
- Breast milk has just the right mix of nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and fat to help your baby grow and develop. Your body even adjusts the mix as your baby grows.
- Breast milk is easy for babies to digest, so they have fewer stomach upsets. Breastfed babies tend to spit up less frequently than babies fed with formula and when they do spit up, they smell better.
- Breast milk contains antibodies and other substances that assist babies in fighting illnesses. Breastfed babies have fewer colds, ear infections, and bouts of diarrhea.
- Breast milk has been shown to help prevent certain food allergies.
- Breast milk decreases the risk of some long-term health problems, including diabetes and asthma, some cancers and chronic digestive diseases, such as obesity
- Breastfed babies are less likely to be hospitalized
- Certain studies suggest that breastfed babies learn faster
Why is breastfeeding good for mothers?
Breastfeeding helps mothers in the following ways:
- Breastfeeding is a special way for mothers and babies to become close.
- Breastfeeding helps shrink your uterus back to normal size faster. Sometimes, breastfeeding mothers are able to shed their baby weight more easily because they are using extra calories to make milk.
- Breastfeeding saves several hundred dollars in the first year of your baby's life. In addition, breastfeeding is more convenient than formulas because there is no preparation and no need to clean bottles and carry supplies when you leave home with your baby.
- Breast milk is always clean and at the right temperature. It is immediately available, which means you can feed your baby right away.
- Breast milk doesn't stain fabric like some formulas do, making laundry less burdensome. In addition, diaper changes and spit-ups are less smelly.
- Breastfeeding has been shown to decrease the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, as well as decrease the risk of osteoporosis later in life.
- Breastfeeding delays the resumption of periods and can help with child spacing.
