19/08/2024
What Are the Benefits of Breastfeeding?
It’s never too early to start thinking about how you’re going to feed your baby. Breastfeeding offers several natural benefits for both you and your baby during their first 4 to 6 months of life. Research shows that it lowers your baby’s risk of developing certain diseases and helps them build a strong immune system. Some of the advantages of breastfeeding include:
Your Baby’s Health
Your breast milk is not only a nutritious choice for your baby, it can also protect them from a wide range of illnesses. Any amount of breast milk will have a positive effect, however, the longer you breastfeed, the greater the protection lasts. Breastfed infants have a lower chance of developing certain medical conditions, such as:
Lower respiratory infections
Ear infections
Asthma
Diarrhea and vomiting
Type 2 diabetes
Obesity
Sudden death infant syndrome (SDIS)
Promotes Bonding
Physical touch is very important for your infant. After your baby is born, it is recommended that you hold your baby against your skin, which is known as skin-to-skin contact. This encourages them to bond and breastfeed. Skin-to-skin contact also boosts a mother’s levels of oxytocin, a hormone that helps breast milk flow and makes them feel calm. Close contact also helps your baby feel safe, secure, and loved.
Provides Nutrients
Breast milk contains the right amounts of fat, sugar, water, protein, and vitamins for your baby’s health. It even adapts over time to meet your baby’s nutritional needs as he or she gets older. Compared with formula, nutrients in breastmilk are better absorbed and utilized by your baby. In addition, the nutrients in breastmilk are best for their brain growth and nervous system development.
Helps Digestion
Infants, particularly those less than 6 months old, have an immature digestive system. Their gastrointestinal tract doesn’t produce digestive enzymes like a child or adult would. The colostrum that mothers make during pregnancy and just after birth helps a baby’s digestive system grow. Breastmilk, unlike formula, contains enzymes – amylase and lipase – that aid digestion. Once your baby is old enough for solid foods, you can slowly introduce them and continue with breastfeeding up to 2 years or longer.
Saves Money
Not only is breastfeeding good for the health of you and your baby, it also saves you money. Breastmilk requires no purchase or preparation – it’s completely free. Even if you want to invest in a breast pump to make feeding more convenient, renting or buying a pump will likely cost less than a year’s supply of formula.
Convenience
Last but not least, breastfeeding is convenient. Breastmilk is always readily available and at the perfect temperature to feed your baby when they’re hungry. You can breastfeed nearly anywhere without worrying about bottles to fill up or formula to measure and mix. Nighttime nursing is also easier and less disruptive because you don’t have to pacify a crying baby while bottles are being warmed.