THE BENEFITS OF BREASTFEEDING – Our Baby Friendly

There is no man made replacement for mother’s milk.
Breast milk is the best food for every newborn baby. It is  perfectly balanced to provide all the
nutrition necessary for an infant to survive and prosper.

In western countries, quite often mothers are not over
fond of breastfeeding their babies, this may be due to fear of complications,
busy schedules etc. However, in other countries, breastfeeding children is
still the normal practice for most mothers. You are wrong if you think that
breast-feeding is only for the impoverished and is an outmoded practice,
breastfeeding children has numerous benefits both for you and for your baby.

The babies immune system, which is vital in protecting
against disease, is helped by the mothers antibodies which are past to the baby
in the mother’s breast milk. Because the breast milk is exactly the right diet
for a baby it also helps protects the baby from heart diseases, crohn’s
disease, and many other aliments. A lot of people don’t realize it but
breastfeeding even reduces the risk of obesity when the baby becomes an adult.
Studies have shown that breast-feeding children helps in preventing cancer and
auto immune conditions in the children. If you decide to feed your baby with
formula milk,you must accept that your baby may be at risk for infections in
the ear, urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract and will also be more prone to
allergies.

So now that we have discussed the various benefits a baby
gets from breastfeeding, now, let’s see how the mother also benefits.

Breastfeeding your baby reduces the risk of developing
breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and osteoporosis. While lactating, you need to
follow a balanced diet and make sure you drink a lot of water, but you do not
need to increase the number of calories in your diet, so you should not be at
risk of gaining weight. 

Apart from the physical benefits of breast-feeding, there
are also certain emotional benefits for both you and your baby. Breast-feeding
helps to strengthen the natural bond that exists between mother and her baby.
For the mother, it is a very joyful and a relaxing experience.

Even though many mothers may feel bottle feeding is much
more convenient than breastfeeding, please consider the benefits out lined above
before you dismiss the idea of breastfeeding. Not only do the benefits of
breastfeeding outweigh any complications related to it, but also, once you
practice this enjoyable method of feeding your baby, you will feel a more
complete mother. Without breastfeeding the experience of motherhood can feel
incomplete!