Benefits of Breastfeeding

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Every parent wants what’s best for their child, so when considering feeding options, it’s no wonder that most parents desire to breastfeed their child! The benefits of breastfeeding are innumerable, not only to the child, but to the mother and society as well!

Benefits For The Child

• Breast milk is the perfect composition and has just the right amount of fat, sugar, protein and calories. This makes the milk easier for baby to digest, leading to less upset stomachs.
• Breastfed babies tend to be leaner, gaining less unnecessary fat, and this greatly decreases their chances of being overweight later on in life.
• Premature babies who are fed breastmilk, have been shown to thrive better than premature babies who are fed formula.
• Breastfed babies have higher IQ’s than their formula fed counterparts.
• Breastfed babies tend to be happier than formula fed babies. Breastfed babies bask in the sense of security, warmth and closeness they experience while nursing. Babies who are bottlefed are often not held as close, and many parents of bottlefed babies, tend to prop the bottle in the baby’s mouth.
• Breastfed babies may have a closer bond with their mother than bottlefed babies do. Newborns can only see twelve to fifteen inches in front of them, approximately the distance from their mother’s breast to her face.
• Sucking at the breast helps develop the baby’s jaw muscles more than sucking a bottle does. The movement of the jaw when breastfeeding encourages the growth of straighter teeth, as well as allows the baby to control the accelerate of milk by stopping and starting, while babies who are bottle fed, cannot control the milk flow as much as a breastfed baby can.
• No baby is ever allergic to their mother’s milk. Although a baby may have a reaction to something in the mother’s diet, this can be corrected by altering the mother’s diet.
• Human breastmilk straight from the breast is uncontaminated and clean.
• Breastfed babies have fewer illnesses because they are given secondary immunity to bacteria, viruses, and illnesses that the mother is immune to. White blood cells pass directly from the mothers body into the breastmilk and are absorbed into the baby’s bloodstream.
• Cow’s milk contains a different type of protein than human milk and can make it difficult for the baby to digest the formula.
• Babies who are breastfed tend to have better vision than babies who were not.
• Breastfed babies have fewer ear infections than formula fed babies.
• Children who were breastfed as babies, are less likely to require tonsilectomies later on in life.
• New studies suggest that babies who are breastfed are less likely to have problems with their cholesterol later on in life.
• Breastfed babies react to vaccinations better than formula fed babies do. Breastfeeding helps mature the baby’s immune system more fast than a formula fed baby’s immune system is able to mature.
• Breastfed babies are less likely to develop diabetes later on in life.
• Babies who are breastfed are less likely to accomplish eczema.
• Breastfed babies suffer from constipation less than formula fed babies, due to the lack of excess iron.
• Breastfed babies stools are softer and have less offensive odors than formula fed babies stools.
• The compositions of breastmilk changes as your baby ages and adjusts to your baby’s needs. Formula does not.
• Babies who are breastfed are less likely to have or develop allergies.
• Babies who are breastfed are less likely to die from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Statistics reveal that out of every 87 SIDS related deaths, only three of the victims were breastfed. That leaves 84 SIDS victims that were formula fed.
• Babies who were breastfed are less likely to suffer from childhood tooth decay.
• The act of nursing promotes the development of facial structure, and enhanced speech.
• Breastfed babies have an increased bone density compared to their formula fed counterparts.
• Breastfed babies are hospitalized ten times less than formula fed babies in their first year of life.

Benefits For The Woman

• Breastfeeding takes energy! Just the act of breastfeeding and producing milk can burn 500-1500 extra calories a day! This makes it easier for breastfeeding moms to lose their pregnancy weight than moms who are formula feeding!
• Solely breastfeeding delays the reappearance of ovulation and menstruation and acts as a natural form of birth control. Be warned though, just because you don’t have menstrual cycles, dosen’t mean you can’t get pregnant!
• Breastfeeding lowers a woman’s risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
• Breastfeeding saves time and money, which results in a less-stressed mother. No measuring, mixing or bulging eyes when you see the price of a can of formula!
• Babies who are breastfed can be fed on demand, which usually results in less crying and in turn, reduces the mother’s stress levels.
• Breastfeeding requires the mother take a few peaceful, relaxing minutes to herself to feed her baby. And everyone can consume a few unruffled minutes to destress!
• Breastfeeding creates a closer bond between the mother and child, and creates a feeling of confidence in the mother.
• Breastfeeding helps the uterus contract and shrink assist down to it’s pre-pregnancy size.
• Moms who are breastfeeding are less likely to become anemic.
• Women who breastfeed are less likely to lose bone density and break or fracture bones later on in life.
• Women who breastfeed are less likely to suffer from postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis.

Community Benefits

• Breastfed babies are sick less often and require seeing a doctor less often which cuts down on healthcare costs, many of which government programs like medicaid, use taxpayer’s money to pay for.
• Breastfeeding saves taxpayers money as well! If all babies that were registered with the WIC program (Women, Infants & Children) were breastfed, the United States Government would save $33,000,000 per month! That’s a LOT of money!
• Because breastfed babies are sick less often, their parents miss less work and are more productive in the workforce.
• Breastfeeding creates less garbage. There’s no formula cans, bottle liners, or torn nipples to throw away.
• During times of anguish, parents don’t have to worry about finding formula for their baby.