What are the benefits of breastfeeding?

For many decades, physicians actively discouraged women from breastfeeding. By the 1970s, it had become clear that this recommendation was not based on fact. Today, there is no doubt that human breast milk is the ideal food for a human infant.

The benefits of breastfeeding are so great that the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and World Health Organization recommend that women feed their infants only breastmilk for the first four to six months of life.

At six months, you may begin to supplement your baby's diet with food, but are encouraged to continue breastfeeding until after your baby’s first birthday.

Breast milk contains complete nutrition for your baby, as well as provide important health benefits. Human breast milk lacks the allergenic substances found in infant formulas comprised of cow's milk or soy. In fact, your antibodies are passed to the baby through the milk, reducing the risk of your infant developing allergy-related diseases such as eczema.

• Babies who are breastfed are less likely to develop ear infections, diarrhea, respiratory infections, meningitis, allergies, asthma, sudden infant death syndrome, iron-deficiency anemia, and diabetes later in life. There is even research to suggest that people who were breastfed are less likely to become obese.
• In comparison, babies who are fed infant formulas are more likely to have infections and to be admitted to the hospital than babies who are fed breast milk.

Nursing your baby also provides comfort and bonding that is unparalleled. You and your baby will develop a closeness through breastfeeding that you won't have if you bottle feed.

There are benefits for mom too -- the nipple stimulation causes your uterus to contract and return to its pre-pregnancy size, and releases hormones that help you to heal and recover from birth.

• Women who breastfeed return to their pre-pregnancy weight quicker than moms who don’t. Nursing burns about 500 calories per day; this is even more than pregnancy, which demands an extra 300 calories daily.

• There are other long-term benefits as well. The risks of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers, as well as hip fractures and osteoporosis are lower among women who breastfeed their babies.