Breastfeeding basics: why breastfeed?

The World Health Organization (WHO), American Academy of Pediatrics, and other leading medical associations agree that although baby formula is a perfectly acceptable alternative when breast milk is not an option, mothers should be encouraged to breastfeed exclusively for at least the first six months of a baby's life. Breast milk contains natural antibodies and easily digestible nutrients that cannot be fully substituted by manufactured baby formula. Breastfeeding can help prevent illness and diseases in babies, such as necrotizing gastroenteritis, asthma, diabetes, SIDS, childhood leukemia, eczema, ear infections, and diarrhea. All of these conditions are found much more frequently in babies who are fed a diet of formula than they are in those infants who are breastfed.

 

Breastfeeding can be a bit difficult in the first two to three weeks, but after mother and baby develop a nursing routine it becomes an easy and relaxing experience. Mothers who breastfeed never have to worry about having mixed the formula incorrectly, warming or cleaning bottles, or whether their baby's food might be causing an allergic reaction. Breastfeeding your child can help prevent an array of illnesses that could otherwise cost a family a great deal of money for visits to the pediatrician. Breast milk is free, unlike formula, requiring only that the mother drink plenty of water and stay well nourished so that she can produce an adequate milk supply. If a mother has to return to work or needs to part with her baby for periods of time, breast milk can be pumped and stored for later use. 

 

Most importantly, breastfeeding is special opportunity for mothers to care for their babies in a way that no one else can. Nursing a baby provides a mother with a unique way of bonding with that baby, and it only lasts for a short time in a child's life. Breastfeeding is a commitment, but a rewarding and enriching experience.The chance to nurse a baby shouldn't be dismissed on the basis of uninformed suggestions of its supposed difficulty. 

 

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