I am a mother of two beautiful children, Rosie, and Joseph. When Rosie was born, two years ago, I made the decision to breastfeed. It was a very difficult and painful thing for both myself and baby to learn, but we persevered, and I'm so glad we did. Of course when Joseph came along 18 months later, breastfeeding was the obvious choice. There is just something so precious about holding a tiny baby in your arms , knowing you are providing him or her with the best nutrition possible. Here are just some of the benefits to breastfeeding for baby AND mommy. (There's a lot more benefits, I just can't remember all of them).
Baby
- Breastfeeding is the healthiest, most natural way to feed your baby. Each mother's breast milk is uniquely formulated for her own baby
- Creates a wonderful opportunity for mommy and baby to bond
- Contains all the right minerals and the right balance of nutrients
- Mommy's milk is easiest to digest.
- Mommy's milk contains the fatty acids essential to the development of the baby’s nervous system and vision. This may be one of the reasons why breastfed babies’ IQ are 8 to 10 points higher than that of formula-fed babies
- Breastfed babies cry less and have less digestive troubles
- Breast milk contains anti-bodies necessary to fight infections and illness such as ear infections
- Breastfeeding releases endorphins, which creates a feeling of relaxation and well being in mother and baby, and is even an ideal pain reliever for the baby
- Protection against SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
- Protection from allergies such as eczema
- Improved mouth and jaw development
Mommy
- Helps stimulate hormones that shrink your uterus back to its pre-pregnancy size
- Lowered risk for ovarian cancer and osteoporosis
- Less likely to get pre-menopausal breast cancer
- Breastfeeding helps you lose weight after pregnancy. It can burn up to 500 calories a day (How awesome is that!?)
- Breastfeeding is free. Formula feeding can cost around $200 a month.
- Breastfeeding is easy. You can feed anytime and anyplace. No bottles to sterilize, prepare, warm-up, and clean.
- Less postpartum depression
As I was writing this blog post, my husband brought my baby in to feed. He looked up at me with his adorable chubby cheeks and gave me the cutest smile! What a wonderful bonding experience!
What do you love about breastfeeding? Tell me about it.
Me Ka Aloha (With Love)
- Elisabeth
For more information about breastfeeding visit
www.lllc.ca/
http://www.drjacknewman.com/
http://www.breastfeeding.com/
I breast fed all of my 5 kids until they were 2 years old. Before I had my first, I was 105 lbs. and the only bra that would fit me were Band Aid bandages, but I produced enough milk to feed my baby and every baby in the neighbourhood. I went from a size AAA to 36C. The milk came out like a Super Soaker Water Gun. My babies never had to suck...they just opened their mouths and swallowed as fast as they could. :) Good times.
ReplyDelete