Breastfeeding – Benefits for Mother and her baby
There are always many decisions to be make when your newborn baby is arriving. Nothing is important than deciding which form of nutrition is best for your newborn baby.
Breastfeeding is the most natural and beneficial acts a mother can do for her child’s health. With breastmilking, a great health benefits have been proven to pass from mother to her child.
With the special nutrients in mother’s milk which prevent a number of childhood diseases, the breast milk benefits are uncountable. It is very important for the mother to give breastmilk to babies in the first 12 months of baby’s life.
Following are very proven and research-based facts about the importance of breastmilk :
Today’s mother often think breastfeeding as unnecessary. Mothers must note that nothing can replace the properties of breastmilk, no matter how many vitamins, minerals and supplements are added to the replacement.
Breastmilk is the only natural, and complete nutrition for infants. It is natural feed for ensuring the health and quality of life for babies, as well as on through their whole life.
Most importantly, breastfeeding promotes a very special emotional bonding between mother and child.
Health Benefits of Breastfeeding to the babies
With Breastfeeding, baby receive the most complete mix of nutrients & antibodies.
The very first milk known as colostrums is a gentle, natural and helps clear baby’s intestine, decreasing the chance for jaundice. The colostrum also prevent harmful bacteria and allergytriggering protein molecules from crossing into baby’s blood.
Research shows that breastfed infants have fewer and shorter spans of illness.
- Protect the baby against gastroenteritis, necrotizing entercolitis.
Breastfeeding is the very natural and nutritious way to encourage your baby’s internal and physical development.
Breastmilk reduce the risk of chronic constipation, vomting, colic, and other stomach problems among the babies.
The skin-to-skin contact encouraged by breastfeeding increases mother- baby emotional bonding.
By the activity of sucking while breastfeeding enhances development of baby’s oral muscles, facial bones, support dental development.
- Protect the baby from viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections.
- Protects the baby against developing chronic diseases such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, and childhood cancers.
- Give the baby a protection against ear infections, respiratory illnesses, pneumonia, bronchitis, kidney infections and septicemia.
It Protect the baby against all types of allergies, asthma, eczema, and severity of allergic diseases.
Breastmilk decreases risk of tooth decay in babies.
- Help in improving facial structure development of baby, including enhancing speech, enhances vision and straighter teeth.
- Increases bone density and reduce risk of heart disease later in life.
- Increase the emotional and spiritual development of babies resulting a special warm bonding and emotional relationship with their mothers.
- Reduces risk for appendicitis, rheumatoid arthritis, hernia, pyloric stenosis etc.
- Help to reduce the risk of obesity, childhood diabetes and hypertension among the babies.
- Lowers the risk of developing hereditary and other allergic disease.
Health Benefits of Breast feeding to the Mother:
It is proven that breastfeeding helps improve mother’s health, as well as her baby’s. A mother grows both physical and emotional relationship with her baby with the help of breastfeeding. A women’s breast milk specifically nourish the body of an infant.
The regular production and delivery of breast milk while breastmilking aids her own health too.
Mothers burn many calories during breastmilking as their bodies produce milk. And it helps the mother’s body return to its pre-pregnancy state faster. So, breastfeeding helps a woman to lose weight after the delivery.
Breastfeeding releases a hormone named oxytocin in the mother that causes the uterus to return to its normal size quickly. So, It helps the uterus contract after birth to control postpartum bleeding.
- Reduced risk of anemia in mothers.
- Reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis and hip fracture in mother’s later years of life.
It delay return of fertility. So, help in avoiding immediate pregnancy after the delivery.
Women who breastfeeding gets psychological benefits such as increased self-confidence and a stronger sense of connection with their babies.
- Help improving the health in diabetic women.
Women who feed the baby for two or more years continuously, reduce their chances of developing breast cancer by 24 percent. And also reduce the chances of developing uterine, endometrial or ovarian cancer.
The emotional health of the mother may be enhanced by the relationship she develops with her infant during breastfeeding, resulting in reducing feelings of anxiety and a stronger sense of connection with her baby.