Benefits of Breastfeeding

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Published on Wednesday, 03 May 2017 13:16

Breastfeeding is completely natural, and the best feeding option for both moms and babies. Choosing to breastfeed your baby offers them the best start to life, and helps them grow and develop well.

Here are just some of the many benefits of breastfeeding:

1. Breastmilk is your baby's perfect food

Babies who are breastfed for at least 6 month have fewer health problems than babies who are artificially fed, including:

• 3 times fewer ear infections
• 5 times fewer urinary tract infections
• 5 time fewer serious illnesses
• 7 times fewer allergies

Because human milk is so easy for babies to digest, breastfed babies spit up less often, and have less diarrhea and constipation.

Breastfed babies have a decreased risk of SIDS, childhood cancers, and diabetes.

2.) Breastfeeding can begin a lifetime of good health for your baby

As adults, people who were breastfed have:

• less asthma
• less diabetes
• fewer skin problems, including dermatitis and eczema
• fewer allergies
• lowered risk of heart attack and stroke due to lower cholesterol levels
• less ulcers in the large intestine
• less Chron's disease
• protection from certain chronic liver diseases

Breastmilk is brain food. Studies show that children who were breastfed have higher IQs than those who were given breastmilk substitutes.

3. Breastfeeding is healthy for mom

Women who breastfeed lower their risk of breast cancer. Nursing for a lifetime total of:

• 2 years lowers the risk before menopause by 40%
• 6 years lowers the risk before menopause by 66%
• 7 years lowers the risk throughout a woman's life to almost 0%

Breastfeeding also provides protection from cancer of the ovaries as well as osteoporosis, a thinning of the bones.

Debra Swank, RN, BSN, IBCLC. Noodle Soup of Weingart Design: Publisher (2007). Breastfeeding for Good Health (brochure) Cleveland, OH.