Added: 10/24/2006 |
Why Breastfeeding Is Best For Your BabyYour new baby depends on you for everything, including his or her nutrition. The best form of nutrients you can provide your little one with is breast milk. Breastfeeding has many benefits for you baby from having an easier time with digestion to fewer diaper rashes. Breastfeeding your baby also has benefits for you as well including weight loss to help you lose some of the extra baby weight.
Unlike formula, breast milk contains many ingredients that not only a growing baby needs such as carbohydrate, protein, and fat, but it also provides but also vitamins, minerals digestive enzymes. Most importantly unlike formula breast milk contains antibodies that the mother can pass from her body to her baby through the breast milk that can help the baby in resisting infections.
More and more there are studies being done on breast fed babies versus bottle fed babies that show that the breast fed babies have few medical problems. Breastfeeding your child in the first year or two of his or her life can reap many benefits for them in the long run. It has been found that breast fed babies are less common to have eczema than those babies who are bottle fed. Another study sows that breast fed babies have less diaper rashes as well as fewer stomach infections.
Afraid of SIDS? A study done by The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development show that breastfeeding your child will also help in protecting your child against SIDS. Breastfeeding also helps protect your child from cancers during childhood years.
These reasons are just the tip of the iceberg on why breastfeeding your baby is best for him or her. For more detailed information, contact your doctor or your child’s pediatrician.
But let’s not forget that there are benefits to breastfeeding for you as well. By breastfeeding your baby this helps speed up the postpartum weight loss and can help you in losing that extra five or ten pounds you want to shed. Breastfeeding also assists your body by bring on uterine contractions, returning your uterus to is original size.
Not ready for that second baby just yet? Breastfeeding your baby prolongs the return of your menstrual cycle thus bring on less than a two percent chance of you becoming pregnant while breastfeeding your baby. This is nature’s way of family planning. And just like your baby, by breastfeeding this also decreases you chances of certain types of cancer such as breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer.
As with anything, there are times when you are unable to breast feed your baby. If possible pump out enough of a supply to leave with dad, or whoever is taking care of your precious cargo. This way your child is still able to get the nutrients he or she needs while mommy is away.
Not only is breastfeeding your child best for both he or she, but for you as well. This also provides bonding time. The touch of skin to skin for a baby is very calming and relaxing. Breastfeeding is also good for your wallet. Buy cans of formula weekly can add up very quickly. It also takes away time from your baby while you have to clean the bottles thoroughly and mix up the formula. Another great reason to breastfeed it is always there. You never have to remember to take formula, a bottle and water with you when you are going somewhere. If your baby is hungry, you are ready to provide the nutrition that he or she is longing.
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