BREASTFEEDING BENEFITS BABY, MOTHER AND SOCIETY
Breastfeeding through the first year of life benefits everyone!
Benefits for Baby:
- Breast milk is the most complete form of nutrition for infants.
- Most babies find it easier to digest breast milk than they do formula.
- Substantial evidence indicates breastfeeding minimizes respiratory, urinary tract, and ear infections.
- Breastfeeding can reduce neonatal pain in infants during minor medical procedures like heel sticks.
- Enhanced cognitive development and educational achievement have been associated with infant breastfeeding.
- Breastfeeding may have a protective effect against sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
- Breast milk is thought to provide some protection against a variety of childhood and adult-onset diseases, including insulin-dependant diabetes, allergies, asthma, lymphoma, ulcerative colitis, and hypertension.
Benefits for Mom:
- Nursing uses up extra calories, making it easier to lose the pounds gained during pregnancy.
- Breastfeeding helps the uterus to get back to its original size and lessens any bleeding a woman may have after giving birth.
- Exclusive breastfeeding delays the return of normal ovulation and menstrual cycles, which may assist in child spacing.
- Risk of breast and ovarian cancers, and possibly the risk of hip fractures and osteoporosis after menopause, are lowered.
- Breastfeeding saves time and money; estimated annual cost of formula is now $1,200.
- Breastfeeding requires a mother to take some quiet, relaxed time for herself and her baby.
- Breastfeeding provides an additional opportunity for closeness and bonding between mothers and their infants.
Benefits for Society:
- Reduced health care costs; breastfed infants typically need fewer sick care visits, prescriptions, and hospitalizations.
- A more productive workforce. Breastfeeding mothers miss less work as their infants are sick less often.
- Breastfeeding reduces environmental waste.
Bottle of 90 for $19.99
