5 Advantages of breastfeeding
Getting ready for the birth of your baby is an exciting and busy time. One of the most important thing to know is that how to feed your baby. Deciding to breastfeed can give your baby the best possible start in life. Breastfeeding benefits you and your baby in many ways. It is also a healthy tradition of many cultures. Breastfeeding provides warmth and closeness.
1. Protects against illnesses
Breast milk is easy to digest and contains more than 200 components that babies need in the early months of life. Breast milk provides nutrients that build up a baby's immune system. It is found that there is a relation between breastfeeding of infant and survival of infants. The younger the infant and the longer the breastfeeding, the greater the estimated benefits in terms of death averted. Breastfeeding is also protects from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).
2. Enhances development and intelligence
Research has shown that children who had been breastfed had higher IQs, than those who received no breastfeeding and there is also a significant relationship between the duration of breastfeeding on the mental development of an infant. Breastfeeding also promotes facial structural development, enhanced speech, straighter teeth, and enhances vision.
3. Less risk to childhood obesity
Children younger than 6 years of age are overweight and the number continues to increase. Without help, these children will enter their teens having already suffered from over a decade of poor health. Weight control programs show little success among children, and as the years go by, these children are more and more likely to grow up to be obese adults. It has been found that breastfeeding plays an important role in preventing childhood overweight. Breastfed infants may be better at self-regulating their diet.
4. Protection from allergies and infection
Breastfeeding may reduce the risk of allergy in babies with a family history of allergic reactions. Breastfed babies are less likely to have diseases such as eczema and respiratory infections. Breast milk also helps in decreasing the risk of Type I diabetes, childhood obesity, allergies, and infections. It has many essential nutrients which protect the babies from many diseases and infections. In fact, breastfed babies are less likely to have
a. Ear infections
b. Diarrhea
c. Pneumonia, wheezing
d. Other bacterial and viral infections such as meningitis
5. Optimal nutrition
Breast milk is the perfect source of nutrition for infants. Breast milk consists of various important antibodies that help the baby to resist infections. Breast milk is the best food you can offer to your baby for the first six months.
a. It's easier for your baby to digest.
b. It doesn't need to be prepared.
c. It's always available.
d. It has growth factors that ensure the development of your baby's organs.
