What Are The Benefits Of Breastfeeding?

The best nutrition on the planet is that which begins with breast milk during the first hour of life. The benefits of breastfeeding are numerous, and have been scientifically proven.

Exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months gives the baby the right nutrients and antibodies for his age. Believe it or not, it doesn’t get any better! 

The human body is so wonderful that a mother can satisfy her baby’s hunger immediately by breastfeeding him. This is not just a practical advantage. Over the past few decades, evidence has accumulated on the health benefits of breastfeeding. Now, after confirming hundreds of studies, the World Health Organization (WHO) can say with absolute certainty that  breastfeeding reduces infant mortality and has health benefits that are found into adulthood. 

The WHO recommends  breastfeeding exclusively until the end of the 6th month of life. It is also important that breast milk remains the first choice even after the introduction of complementary foods, at least up to two years of life. Thousands of pediatricians around the world, mothers and grandmothers, do the same. Science and experience are very unlikely to be wrong.

To enable mothers to breastfeed their baby exclusively in the first six months of life, WHO and UNICEF recommend:

• Begin breastfeeding during the first hour of life
• Practicing exclusive breastfeeding, that is to say, offering the infant only breast milk, without further food or drink, not even water.
• Breastfeed when your baby requires it, day or night.

• Do not use bottles, teats or pacifiers.

Benefits for both 

Breastfeeding improves mom’s health in the short and long term. It can help achieve the Millennium Development Goals with which many countries and agencies are committed, particularly those aiming to reduce infant mortality and improve maternal health.

The benefits of breastfeeding are not only limited to numerical data and scientific evidence, they also have to do with love and pleasant moments between mother and child . These moments help them strengthen their relationship. Physical contact is important for babies because it helps them feel more secure, loved and comforted. Breastfeeding mothers can feel more self-confident and feel closer and closer to their babies. However,  neither breastfeeding guarantees that the emotional relationship between mother and child is appropriate nor does the absence of breastfeeding prevent it.

Breastfeeding itself is a very positive element.

Breast milk prevents the baby from suffering from:

• Hearing infections
• Stomach virus
• Diarrhea
• Respiratory infections
• Atopic dermatitis
• Asthma
• Obesity
• Diabetes

The most important and most visible benefits of breastfeeding are the immediate health and survival of the newborn. The rates of diarrhea, respiratory tract infections, ear infections and other infections, as well as the dysfunctions caused by these diseases, are lower in nursing babies than in those who are not.

                                 – Pan American Health Organization – 

Mother’s milk is sufficient

Breast milk differs from formula milk.  Colostrum, the first yellowish and thick breast milk produced during pregnancy and immediately after delivery, will give the baby the best start in life. 

Colostrum contains nutrients and antibodies that protect the baby when he comes into the world.

For most babies, breast milk is easier to digest than infant formula. Babies’ stomachs are slow to adapt to the digestion of proteins in powdered milk, as they come from cow’s milk.

One of the most common fears of mothers is the amount of milk the baby is taking,  remember that his stomach is small and that he will take what is needed to satisfy his hunger. 

Pediatricians around the world recommend that babies only receive breast milk for the first six months of life. This means not giving him any other type of solid or liquid food, not even water, at that time.

Not everything is plain sailing 

Breastfeeding requires learning and many women have difficulties at first. Chest pains and fear that milk is not enough for the baby are frequent. To encourage mothers,  there are health centers that help with breastfeeding by providing mothers with specialized consultants.

Thanks to an initiative by the WHO and UNICEF,  there are over 220,000 child-friendly centers that support mothers in 152 countries.