There are many advantages of breastfeeding, and very few, if any, reasons you should not breastfeed your child.
A baby’s first meal after birth and through infancy is breast milk. Exclusive breastfeeding is highly recommended during the first 3-6 months of the baby’s life because it supplies it with antioxidants and antibodies needed to fortify the immune system and support proper growth. Moreover, breast milk is a healthy choice for the infants, and it does not cause digestive complications.
The Advantages of Breastfeeding
- It has a natural physiological impact on the mother and child.
- Mother’s milk is a complete meal (nutritionally balanced)
- It has easy to digest protein (casein and whey), lactose and fats that do not trouble the infant’s immature digestive system thus it causes few incidences of constipation or diarrhea.
- The milk is always fresh, has the right temperature and with a readily available supply that can last more than two years.
- It has properties that boost the newborn’s immunity protecting it against SIDS, asthma, and allergies.
- Breastfeeding encourages skin-to-skin contract which plays a pivotal role in establishing a physical and emotional bond between the month and baby.
- It eliminates the need for buy expensive milk formula and bottle feeding equipment.
More Advantages Of Breastfeeding
Supplies Antibodies: The infant gets antibodies it needs to fight off diseases through the milk. The mother passes on antibodies to her baby thereby aiding in protecting the baby from respiratory infections, allergies, meningitis, and other illnesses or health issues. The baby formula does not contain antibodies.
Prevents Obesity: According to recent findings on the importance of breastfeeding, studies show that it plays a role in preventing childhood obesity and adult weight gain issues. The National Women’s Health Information Centre, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says that breastfed infants rarely gain unnecessary weight and this helps them maintain a healthy body weight later.
Higher IQ: Recent studies on the benefits of breastfeeding suggest that babies exclusively breastfed for the first six months have a higher IQ (5-10 points) that those feed on baby formula milk.
Lower Cancer Risk: Research suggests that mothers who breastfeed their babies have a low risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer as well as ovarian and uterine cancer.
Natural Weight Loss: The production of breast milk burns up to 600 calories a day, which is a fantastic thing for nursing mothers with concerns about their body weight. Breastfeeding helps to shrink the uterus that promoting a quicker post-pregnancy weight loss and a faster return to the pre-pregnancy figure.
A Flavorful Mix: Mothers who eat a variety of nutritionally-balanced foods introduces their infants to different tastes and flavors through their breast milk.
Women, since the dawn of time, have successfully breastfed their infants. So why is it such a complicated and hard thing for the modern mother to do? The most notable reason would be the many choices available that offer an easy way out as opposed to the time-demanding and somewhat harder route of catering to the infant’s nutritional needs. A suckling baby is a joy to behold when in your arms, and the experience for both the mother and the child is something special. The mother gets a profound sense of love for the baby when nourishing it with breast milk.
Tips To Succeed In Breastfeeding Your Baby
The production of milk does have a physiological element in it; thus, it also requires that you have the right mindset that acknowledges the need and benefits of breastfeeding the baby. If you are not mentally set about it, then pressurizing yourself into it will not work.
Avoid thinking of it as a trial and error thing, dedicate your efforts to it and keep telling yourself that you can do it; have a positive outlook on breastfeeding.
- Seek all the support you can get from the baby’s father or your partner.
- Do not be pressured to bottle feed the baby and downplay any negative remarks you may get for breastfeeding your child.
- Remember that breastfeeding is beneficial to both you and your baby.
- Consider joining a local breastfeeding advocacy group that will encourage and support you as you strive to establish and continue to breastfeed your baby.
The best quality nutrition for a newborn should be through breastfeeding, especially during the first three to six months after birth. It is an act that promotes the development or a nurturing bond between the mother and baby. A connection is created when the mother breastfeeds the baby, and they stare into each other’s eyes; it builds trust and love between the two that last into adulthood. As such, nourishing the infant with the mother’s milk has to do with more than just supplying the child with the food it needs.
