How Breastfeeding Benefits You and Baby!!
It’s never too early to start thinking about how you're going to feed your baby. Today, most women in England are choosing to breastfeed.
Breast milk is the only natural food designed for your baby. Breastfeeding protects your baby from infections and diseases. Breastfeeding provides health benefits for mum. It’s free. It’s available whenever and wherever your baby needs a feed. It’s the right temperature. It can build a strong physical and emotional bond between mother and baby. It can give you a great sense of achievement. Health benefits of breastfeeding for your baby
Breastfeeding is the healthiest way to feed your baby. Exclusive breastfeeding (giving your baby breast milk only) is recommended for around the first six months (26 weeks) of your baby's life. After that, giving your baby breast milk alongside other food will help them continue to grow and develop healthily.
Breastfeeding is good for babies. Breastfed babies have:
less chance of diarrhoea and vomiting and having to go to hospital as a result fewer chest and ear infections and fewer visits to hospital as a result less chance of being constipated less likelihood of becoming obese and therefore developing type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related illnesses later in life less chance of developing eczema
Any amount of breastfeeding has a positive effect. The longer you breastfeed, the longer the protection lasts and the greater the benefits.
Infant formula doesn't provide the same protection. Breast milk adapts as your baby grows to meet your baby's changing needs.
Health benefits of breastfeeding for you
Breastfeeding doesn』t only benefit your baby. It benefits your health too. Breastfeeding is good for mums as it:
lowers your risk of getting breast and ovarian cancer naturally uses up to 500 calories a day saves money – infant formula, the sterilising equipment and feeding equipment can be costly can help to build a strong bond between you and your baby
Common breastfeeding misconceptions
Many myths and stories about breastfeeding are passed around by family and friends, but some are inaccurate or out of date. See how many you』ve heard, and separate fact from fiction:
Myth 1: 「It’s not that popular – only a few women do it in this country」
Fact: 81% of women in the UK start breastfeeding.
Myth 2: 「Breastfeeding will make my breasts saggy」
Fact: Breastfeeding doesn』t cause your breasts to sag, but the ageing process and losing or putting on weight can all have an effect.
Myth 3: 「Infant formula is basically the same as breast milk」
Fact: Infant formula isn』t the same as breast milk. It's not a living product so it doesn』t have the antibodies, living cells, enzymes or hormones that protect your baby from infections and diseases in childhood and also later in life.
Myth 4: 「People don』t like women breastfeeding in public」
Fact: Surveys actually show that the majority of people don』t mind women breastfeeding in public at all. The more it’s done, the more normal it will become.
Myth 5: 「Breastfeeding is easy for some women, but some don』t produce enough milk」
Fact: Almost all women are physically able to breastfeed. It’s a skill that every woman needs to learn and practice. It happens more quickly for some women than others, but nearly all women can produce the amount of milk their baby needs.
Myth 6: 「If I breastfeed I can』t have a sex life」
Fact: After you've had your baby you'll decide when it's time to have sex with your partner. The same hormone that helps to release your milk for the baby (oxytocin) is also made when you have sex. When having sex you may leak a little breast milk. This is normal.
Changing from bottle to breast
If you』ve already been formula feeding for a few days but you』ve changed your mind and want to breastfeed, speak to your midwife or health visitor as soon as possible for support on how to build up your milk supply.
Medical reasons for not breastfeeding
Occasionally, there are clinical reasons for not breastfeeding. For example, if you have HIV or, in rare cases, you're taking certain types of medication that may harm your baby. If you』re not sure whether you should breastfeed your baby, speak to your midwife or health visitor for information and support.
Below additional info was Reviewed by the:
BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board
That's one reason the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeedingfor the first six months (although any amount of breastfeeding is beneficial). And scientific studies have shown that breastfeeding is good for yourhealth, too.
Here's a look at some of the most important benefits breastfeeding offers you and your baby.
Breastfeeding protects baby from a long list of illnesses
Numerous studies from around the world have shown that stomach viruses, lower respiratory illnesses, ear infections, and meningitis occur less often in breastfed babies and are less severe when they do happen. Exclusive breastfeeding (meaning no solid food, formula, or water) for at least six months seems to offer the most protection.
The main immune factor at work here is a substance called secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) that's present in large amounts in colostrum, the first milk your body produces for your baby. (Secretory IgA is present in lower concentrations in mature breast milk.) The substance guards against invading germs by forming a protective layer on the mucous membranes in your baby's intestines, nose, and throat.
Your breast milk is specifically tailored to your baby. Your body responds to pathogens (virus and bacteria) that are in your body and makes secretory IgA that's specific to those pathogens, creating protection for your baby based on whatever you're exposed to.
Breastfeeding's protection against illness lasts beyond your baby's breastfeeding stage, too. Studies have shown that breastfeeding can reduce a child's risk of developing certain childhood cancers. Scientists don't know exactly how breast milk reduces the risk, but they think antibodies in breast milk may give a baby's immune system a boost.
Breastfeeding may also help children avoid a host of diseases that strike later in life, such as type 1 and type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and inflammatory bowel disease. In fact, preemies given breast milk as babies are less likely to have high blood pressure by the time they're teenagers.
For babies who aren't breastfed, researchers have documented a link between lack of breastfeeding and later development of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Breastfeeding can protect your baby from developing allergies
Babies who are fed a formula based on cow's milk or soy tend to have more allergic reactions than breastfed babies.
Scientists think that immune factors such as secretory IgA (only available in breast milk) help prevent allergic reactions to food by providing a layer of protection to a baby's intestinal tract. Without this protection, inflammation can develop and the wall of the intestine can become "leaky." This allows undigested proteins to cross the gut where they can cause an allergic reaction and other health problems.
Babies who are fed formula rather than breast milk don't get this layer of protection, so they're more vulnerable to inflammation, allergies, and other eventual health issues.
Breastfeeding may boost your child's intelligence
Various researchers have found a connection between breastfeeding and cognitive development. In a study of more than 17,000 infants followed from birth to 6 1/2 years, researchers concluded from IQ scores and other intelligence tests that prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding significantly improves cognitive development.
Another study of almost 4,000 children showed that babies who were breastfed had significantly higher scores on a vocabulary test at 5 years of age than children who were not breastfed. And the scores were higher the longer they had been nursed.
Preterm infants with extremely low birth weight who received breast milk shortly after birth improved their mental development scores at 18 months when compared with preterm infants who weren't given breast milk. In a later study, researchers found that the higher scores held at 30 months, and that the babies who received breast milk were also less likely to be hospitalized again because of respiratory infections.
Experts say that the emotional bonding that takes place during breastfeeding probably contributes to some of the brainpower benefits, but that the fatty acids in breast milk may play the biggest role.
Breastfeeding may protect your child from obesity
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding as a way to help reduce your child's risk of becoming overweight or obese. An analysis of 17 studies published in the American Journal of Epidemiology shows that breastfeeding reduces a child's risk of becoming overweight as a teen or adult. The strongest effect is in children who were exclusively breastfed, and the longer the baby was breastfed the stronger the link.
Experts think that breastfeeding may affect later weight gain for several reasons:
Breastfed babies are better at eating until their hunger is satisfied, leading to healthier eating patterns as they grow. Breast milk contains less insulin than formula. (Insulin stimulates the creation of fat.) Breastfed babies have more leptin in their system, a hormone that researchers believe plays a role in regulating appetite and fat. Compared with breastfed babies, formula-fed infants gain weight more rapidly in the first weeks of life. This rapid weight gain is associated with later obesity.
Breastfeeding may lower your baby's risk of SIDS
A large German study published in 2009 found that breastfeeding – either exclusively or partially – is associated with a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The researchers concluded that exclusive breastfeeding at 1 month of age cut the risk of SIDS in half.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends breastfeeding for as long as possible to reduce the risk of SIDS.
Breastfeeding can reduce your stress level and your risk of postpartum depression
The National Institutes of Health reviewed more than 9,000 study abstracts and concluded that women who didn't breastfeed or who stopped breastfeeding early on had a higher risk of postpartum depression.
Many women report feeling relaxed while breastfeeding. That's because nursing triggers the release of the hormone oxytocin. Numerous studies in animals and humans have found that oxytocin promotes nurturing and relaxation. (Oxytocin released while nursing also helps your uterus contract after birth, resulting in less postpartum bleeding.)
One study found that women who had high amounts of oxytocin in their system (50 percent of breastfeeding moms as opposed to 8 percent of bottle-feeding moms) had lower blood pressure after being asked to talk about a stressful personal problem.
By the way, if you're being treated for depression, you can still breastfeed your baby. Your healthcare practitioner can help you identify safe ways to treat your depression while nursing.
Breastfeeding may reduce your risk of some types of cancer
Numerous studies have found that the longer women breastfeed, the more they're protected against breast and ovarian cancer. For breast cancer, nursing for at least a year appears to have the most protective effect.
It's not entirely clear how breastfeeding helps, but it may have to do with the structural changes in breast tissue caused by breastfeeding and the fact that lactation suppresses the amount of estrogen your body produces. Researchers think the effect on ovarian cancer may be related to estrogen suppression as well.
More Information
Studies are finding new benefits of breastfeeding all the time. The May 2010 issue of Pediatrics, for example, published a study showing that babies who are breastfed are less likely to have fevers after their immunizations than babies who are formula fed.
Breastfeeding is natural – but that doesn't necessarily mean it's easy. Don't hesitate to contact your healthcare provider or a certified lactation consultant if you need help or support.
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