Breastfeeding Benefits

Experts believe breast milk provides the best nutrition for newborns and infants. Many health organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the World Health Organization (WHO), etc. recommend breastfeeding due to the many benefits it provides. Benefits such as protection from allergies, infection and a myriad other health conditions.

Here are some more breastfeeding benefits culled from kidshealth.org

Fighting infections and other conditions

Breastfeeding allows antibodies and other germ-fighting factors to pass from a mother to her baby and strengthen the child’s immune system. This helps lower a baby’s chances of getting many infections, including:

ear infections
diarrhea
respiratory infections
meningitis

Breastfeeding also may protect babies against:

allergies
asthma
diabetes
obesity
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Nutrition and ease of digestion

Often called the “perfect food” for a human baby’s digestive system, breast milk’s components — lactose, protein (whey and casein), and fat — are easily digested by a newborn. Breast milk also naturally contains many of the vitamins and minerals that a newborn requires.

An exception is vitamin D — the AAP recommends that all breastfed babies begin receiving vitamin D supplements during the first 2 months and continuing until a baby consumes enough vitamin D-fortified formula or milk (after 1 year of age).

Other Benefits

Breast milk is typically free
Breastfed babies are introduced to different tastes through their mothers’ breast milk
Convenience and availability
Some studies suggest that children who were exclusively breastfed have slightly higher IQs
Many nursing mothers really enjoy the experience of bonding so closely with their babies. And the skin-to-skin contact can enhance the emotional connection between mother and infant.

Here at the PCC, we recommend breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months. We also understand that breastfeeding may not come easily to every parent, and some moms may have questions and concerns about how to breastfeed, techniques, and medication/medical conditions that may preclude breastfeeding. That is why we have a dedicated breastfeeding area in our practice, to assist new moms and to provide the privacy, time and care you may need. Please feel free to contact us, if you have any questions or to see how we can help.