Benefits of

Breastfeeding
By: Chloee Dula
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk
directly from female human breasts (i.e., via lactation) rather than using
infant formula from a baby bottle or other container
Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow
milk
Experts recommend that children be breastfed within one hour of
birth, exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months, and
then breastfed until age two.
Benefits of Breastfeeding
For the baby
Immunity
Reduced risk of diabetes, allergies, SIDS
Breastmilk able to change and adjust to what an individual babys needs
Plus many mote

For the mother

Weight loss
Lowering the risk of: Type 2 diabetes, Ovarian cancer, Postpartum depression
Mothers who breastfed for a lifetime total of 2 years got about twice the benefit
of those who breastfed for a total of 1 year.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Non-breastfed babies have worse arousal from sleep at 2-3 months
This coincides with the peak incidence of sudden infant death syndrome
A study conducted at the university of Mnster found that not
breastfeeding doubled the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in
children in children up to the age of 1.
Hormone Release
Breastfeeding releases oxytocin and prolactin, hormones that relax the
mother and makes her feel more nurturing toward her baby
This hormone release can help to enable sleep even where a mother
may otherwise be having difficulty sleeping
Breastfeeding soon after giving birth increases the mothers oxytocin
levels, making her uterus contract more quickly and reducing bleeding
Breastfeeding vs. Formula
Infants who are fed with formula alone have increased occurrences of:
Diarrhea
Otitis Media
Urinary Tract Infections
Bacterial Infection

In the US, infants who are only formula fed have an

increased rate of mortality by 21%
Breastfeeding is one of the best predictors of the survival
of infants
Long-term health effects
Less risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and endometrial cancer
Breastfeeding diabetic mothers require less insulin
Reduced risk of metabolic syndrome
Reduced risk of post-partum bleeding
Women who breastfed for a longer duration have a lower risk for
contracting rheumatoid arthritis than women who breastfed for a shorter
duration or who had never breastfed.
Breast Cancer
A large-scale analysis of nearly 150,000 women published in The Lancet
in 2002 found that for every 12 months of breastfeeding (either with one
child or spread over multiple children), the risk of breast cancer
decreased by 4.3 percent, when compared to women who didn't
breastfeed at all.
Breastfeeding makes breast cells more resistant to mutations that can
cause cancer.
women who breastfeed have fewer menstrual cycles throughout their
lives, and therefore less exposure to estrogen, which has been shown to
fuel some types of breast cancers. Another theory: Breastfeeding makes
breast cells more resistant to mutations that can cause cancer.
Current Statistics
By the third trimester of pregnancy most women will have decided
whether or not they will breastfeed
Education programs are the most effective intervention to promote the
beginning of breastfeeding
The Centers for Disease Control report that only 73.8% of women who
are able to breastfeed will attempt to do it.
Current Recommendations
The accepted recommendation is that babies should be breastfed for at
least the first year of life
By six months of age only 11.3% of babies are being breastfed
exclusively
If Breastfeeding in Unsuccessful
Lactation Consultant Services
Pumping breastmilk
Formula
All of these are good secondary options