Breastfeeding: The Many Benefits - By: Rodney J Smith

Breastfeeding - the way nature intended human children to be fed - holds a number of advantages over bottle feeding with formula milk, both for mother and child. Here are the most obvious ones:

Health benefits to baby
It is significant that the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends exclusive breast feeding for the first six months of a baby's life, then supplemented by solids up to age 12 months or beyond. The WHO estimates that increased levels of breastfeeding, particularly in developing countries, could save over a million children's lives each year. The reason is that breast milk is full of antibodies which boost a baby's immature immune system and protect him from vomiting, diarrhoea and other common infections. Studies also indicate a lower incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ("cot death") in breastfed babies.

Health benefits to Mom
Breastfeeding also has a number of benefits for mothers - in particular a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer in women who have breastfed one or more babies. Not only that but producing all that milk burns a lot of calories and helps Mom to shift those unwanted kilos she may have picked up during her pregnancy.

Parent-child bonding
Breastfeeding can help cement the emotional bond between mother and baby which is so vital to a baby's development (and even survival).

Cost and convenience
There is no doubt breastfeeding is a lot cheaper than alternate forms of feeding. You don't need any special equipment, and of course the milk itself is free. It's also a lot more convenient: no need to lug around bags full of things when you're out and about, and little danger of running out if baby is particularly hungry that day! It makes night-time feeds a lot less difficult logistically, and you don't have to worry about mixing the milk wrong or ensuring it's the right temperature.

About the Author

If you feel breastfeeding's not for you, why not try feeding your baby expressed milk which you can collect using one of the Avent breast pumps or Medela electric breast pumps. Find out more at http://www.electricbreastpumps.org.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Rodney-J-Smith/67340

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