What are the benefits of breastfeeding
my baby?
There are many benefits to breastfeeding your baby! Human breast milk "contains all the nutrients babies need each day, plus many substances that help keep them healthy and promote optimal growth and development." (THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, page 333). Your milk is made to order for your baby. Research points to the significant value to infants, mothers, families and the environment from breastfeeding.
Benefits for Baby
Chapter 18 of THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, "The Superior Infant Food," documents the benefits of breastfeeding such as the antibodies in it to protect the baby from illness. For example, "Deaths from respiratory infections in artificially fed infants were 120 times greater than among breastfed babies" (THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, page 345). Breastfed babies have a decreased likelihood for allergies and dental caries. They also benefit from appropriate jaw, teeth and speech development as well as overall facial development. This means that people who were artificially fed may experience more trips to doctors and dentists.
Benefits for Mother
Chapter 19 of THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, "How Breastfeeding Affects a Mother," describes some of the physical benefits of breastfeeding for the mother such as reduced rates of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The time saved for mother is immense also. As a breastfeeding mother, you can feed your baby even during stressful times such as when normal supplies of food and water are not available.
Benefits for Employers
Breastfed babies are healthier babies; thus, mothers who are employed outside the home are likely to miss fewer days of work according to a study in the BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK on page 200. To learn more about {working and breastfeeding}
http://www.lalecheleague.org/bfwork.html see the collection of NEW BEGINNINGS articles. Click to learn more about {corporate lactation programs}.
http://www.lalecheleague.org/corporate.html
Benefits for the Environment
The article"A Quick Look at Breastfeeding's Most Revolutionary Year Yet," by Dia Michels describes the environmentally friendly benefits of breastfeeding. Simply put, human milk is delivered without excess packaging or processing and thus contributes to the health of our planet.