BENEFITS OF BREASTFEEDING
Making the choice as to how to feed
your baby is an important decision –
one that will have lifelong effects
for you and your child. The experts
at Texas Children’s Lactation
Program believe breast milk is the
best possible food
for newborn babies.
More and more studies prove that
breastfeeding gives newborn babies
the best possible start toward a
lifetime of good health. Breastfed
babies have:
-
Fewer ear
infections
-
Less risk
of asthma, food allergies and dental cavities
-
Protection
against diarrhea and gastrointestinal and
respiratory infections
-
Enhanced
nervous system development and higher IQ levels
-
Less risk
of some childhood cancers
-
Possible
protection against sudden infant death syndrome
(SIDS)
-
Lower rate
of childhood obesity
-
Fewer food
aversions when they’re older
-
Appropriate jaw, teeth, facial and speech
development
Mothers who
breastfeed have:
-
Less risk
of pre-menopausal breast cancer
-
Lower
chance of osteoporosis later in life
-
Quicker
return to pre-pregnancy weight levels
-
A natural,
healthy source of food for their babies, even during
times of emergency when normal supplies of food and
water might not be available
-
Less
chance of becoming pregnant before menstruation
returns
Both mother
and baby benefit because breastfeeding:
-
Allows for
deeper bonding between mother and baby due to the
close skin-to-skin contact and maternal hormones
released during feeding
-
Saves time
-
Saves
money
-
Is better
for the planet because it requires no packaging or
manufacturing and causes no waste
