breast milk helps keep your baby healthy

7/24/2019 Breast Milk Helps Keep Your Baby Healthy

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Breast milk helps keep your baby healthy.

• It supplies all the necessary nutrients in the proper proportions.

• It protects against allergies, sickness, and obesity.

• It protects against diseases, like diabetes and cancer.

• It protects against infections, like ear infections.

• It is easily digested – no constipation, diarrhea or upset stomach.

• Babies have healthier weights as they grow.

• Breastfed babies score higher on IQ tests.

Breast milk changes constantly to meetbabies' needs.

The milk changes in volume and composition according to the time of day, nursing frequency, and age

of baby to promote healthy growth. Breast milk is the perfect food for your baby.

Breast milk is always ready and good for theenvironment.

• It is available wherever and whenever your baby needs it.

• It is always at the right temperature, clean and free.

• o bottles to clean.

• Breastfeeding has no waste, so it is good for the environment.

Why is Breastfeeding Important for You?

!others who breastfeed"

•

#ave a reduced risk of Type $ %iabetes and certain cancers such as breast cancer

• !ay find it easier to return to what they weighed before they got pregnant

• &trengthen the bond with their children

Making it Work You !an "o It#



&ome helpful hints"

• Breastfeed soon after birth and breastfeed frequently ' to ($ times in a $) hour period.

• #old your baby skin*to*skin.

• +eep your baby with you in the hospital.

• %o not give a pacifier or bottle until breastfeeding is well

established.

• ive only breast milk.

Benefits of Breastfeeding

Breast milk is widely acknowledged as the most complete formof nutrition for infants, with a range of benefits for infants' health,growth, immunity and development.-- Healthy People 2010, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, eorgia

Breast milk is a unique nutritional source that cannot adequatelybe replaced by any other food, including infant formula. lthoughpollutants can accumulate in breast milk, it remains superior toinfant formula from the perspecti!e of the o!erall health of bothmother and child.

"nfants are fragile and susceptible to disease, partly because their bodies are not fullyde!eloped. #hey must be treated $ith special care and gi!en adequate nourishment.

"nfant formulas are able to mimic a fe$ of the nutritional components of breast milk, butformula cannot hope to duplicate the !ast and constantly changing array of essentialnutrients in human milk. %e!ertheless, breastfeeding is often de!alued, both in the&nited 'tates and abroad, and in many parts of the $orld it must compete $ithrelentless ad!ertising by infant-formula companies.

'tudies ha!e demonstrated a number of important health benefits to breastfeeding. mong them(

• Breast-fed children are more resistant to disease and infection early in life thanformula-fed children

• Breast-fed children are less likely to contract a number of diseases later in life,including )u!enile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and cancer before theage of 1*

• +others $ho breastfeed are less likely to de!elop osteoporosis later in life, areable to lose $eight gained during pregnancy more easily and ha!e a lo$er risk ofbreast, uterine and o!arian cancer



Breastfeeding also has economicad!antages( its cheaper than buyingformula and helps a!oid medical bills later because it helps equip the baby to fight off disease and infection. %e$ parents are

$ell ad!ised to learn all they can about thepros and cons of breast milk and formula.'ee belo$ for more information on thebenefits of breastfeeding.

Benefits to the Child in the First Yearsof Life

Breast milk is a unique combination of nutrients essential to a childs health, andcannot be duplicated by any laboratoryformula. "t pro!ides a number of health ad!antages beginning at birth and continuingthroughout a childs life. "n fact, a large number of the health problems todays childrenface might be decreased, or e!en pre!ented, by breastfeeding the infant eclusi!ely forat least the first si months of life. #he longer the mother breastfeeds, the more likelyher child $ill get the health benefits of breastfeeding.

#he merican cademy of Pediatrics P/ recommends that mothers breastfeed for atleast the first year of a childs life and continue until they both feel they are ready tostop. "n the first si months, the baby should be nourished eclusi!ely by breast milk.#he slo$ introduction of iron-enriched foods may complement the breastfeeding in thesecond half of the first year. Breast milk $ithout supplements during the first si months

reduces the possibility of food contamination due to tainted $ater or malnutrition as aresult of o!er-diluted formula. #herefore, the child should be nursed $ithout theinterference of $ater, sugar $ater, )uices, or formulas, unless a specific medicalcondition indicates other$ise. #he P asserts that breast milk has the perfect balanceof nutrients for the infant. "t is by itself enough sustenance for approimately the first simonths of life and should follo$ as the childs staple throughout the first year.

!ariety of studies ha!e demonstrated that breastfeeding increases a childs immunityto disease and infection(

• +any studies sho$ that breastfeeding strengthens the immune system. uring

nursing, the mother passes antibodies to the child, $hich help the child resistdiseases and help impro!e the normal immune response to certain !accines.

• espiratory illness is far more common among formula-fed children. "n fact, ananalysis of many different research studies concluded that infants fed formula facea threefold greater risk of being hospitalied $ith a se!ere respiratory infection thando infants breast-fed for a minimum of four months.

The United States Lags in Breastfeeding

#he &nited 'tates has one of the lo$est rates ofbreastfeeding in the industrialied $orld, and oneof the highest rates of infant mortality. ata from2003 indicate that 41 percent of &.'. mothersinitiate some breastfeeding, and only 35 percent

report feeding any human milk to their infants at simonths. ates in the frican-merican communityare lo$er, $ith only ** percent of $omen initiatingbreastfeeding and only 26 percent stillbreastfeeding at si months. #hose numbers standin marked contrast to '$eden, for eample, $herethe breastfeeding initiation rate eceeds 78percent and the rate at si months is 42 percent. "n'$eden, there is a high le!el of a$areness aboutchemical contaminants in breast milk, yet mostmothers make the $ise decision to breastfeed their children any$ay.



• iarrheal disease is three to four times more likely to occur in infants fed formulathan those fed breast milk.

• Breastfeeding has been sho$n to reduce the likelihood of ear infections, and topre!ent recurrent ear infections. 9ar infections are a ma)or reason that infants take

multiple courses of antibiotics.

• "n de!eloping countries, differences in infection rates can seriously affect aninfants chances for sur!i!al. :or eample, in Brail, a formula-fed baby is 16 timesmore likely to die than an eclusi!ely breast-fed baby.

• esearchers ha!e obser!ed a decrease in the probability of 'udden "nfant eath'yndrome '"'/ in breast-fed infants.

• nother apparent benefit from breastfeeding may be protection from allergies.9cema, an allergic reaction, is significantly rarer in breast-fed babies. re!ie$ of

132 studies on allergy and breastfeeding concluded that breastfeeding appears tohelp protect children from de!eloping allergies, and that the effect seems to beparticularly strong among children $hose parents ha!e allergies.

Benefits to the Child Later in Life

'ome benefits of breastfeeding become apparent as the child gro$s older. mong thebenefits demonstrated by research(• "nfants $ho are breast-fed longer ha!e fe$er dental ca!ities throughout their

li!es.

• 'e!eral recent studies ha!e sho$n that children $ho $ere breast-fed aresignificantly less likely to become obese later in childhood. :ormula feeding islinked to about a 20 to 30 percent greater likelihood that the child $ill becomeobese.

• ;hildren $ho are eclusi!ely breast-fed during the first three months of their li!esare 36 percent less likely to de!elop )u!enile, insulin-dependent diabetes thanchildren $ho are fed formula.

• Breastfeeding may also decrease the risk of childhood cancer in children under

1* years of age. :ormula-fed children are eight times more likely to de!elop cancerthan children $ho are nursed for more than si months. "t is important to note thatchildren $ho are breast-fed for less than si months do not appear to ha!e anydecreased cancer risk compared to bottle-fed children./

• s children gro$ into adults, se!eral studies ha!e sho$n that people $ho $erebreast-fed as infants ha!e lo$er blood pressure on a!erage than those $ho $ere



formula-fed. #hus, it is not surprising that other studies ha!e sho$n that heartdisease is less likely to de!elop in adults $ho $ere breast-fed in infancy.

• 'ignificant e!idence suggests that breast-fed children de!elop fe$erpsychological, beha!ioral and learning problems as they gro$ older. 'tudies also

indicate that cogniti!e de!elopment is increased among children $hose motherschoose to breastfeed.

• "n researching the psychological benefits of breast milk, one researcher foundthat breast-fed children $ere, on a!erage, more mature, asserti!e and secure $iththemsel!es as they de!eloped.

Benefits to the Mother

'tudies indicate that breastfeeding helps impro!e mothers health, as $ell as their

childrens. $oman gro$s both physically and emotionally from the relationship sheforms $ith her baby. <ust as a $omans breast milk is designed specifically to nourishthe body of an infant, the production and deli!ery of this milk aids her o$n health. :oreample(

• Breastfeeding helps a $oman to lose $eight after birth. +others burn manycalories during lactation as their bodies produce milk. "n fact, some of the $eightgained during pregnancy ser!es as an energy source for lactation.

• Breastfeeding releases a hormone in the mother oytocin/ that causes theuterus to return to its normal sie more quickly.

• =hen a $oman gi!es birth and proceeds to nurse her baby, she protects herselffrom becoming pregnant again too soon, a form of birth control found to be 78percent effecti!e -- more effecti!e than a diaphragm or condom. 'cientists belie!ethis process pre!ents more births $orld$ide than all forms of contraceptioncombined. "n frica, breastfeeding pre!ents an estimated a!erage of four births per$oman, and in Bangladesh it pre!ents an estimated a!erage of 5.* births per$oman.

• Breastfeeding appears to reduce the mothers risk of de!eloping osteoporosis inlater years. lthough mothers eperience bone-mineral loss during breastfeeding,

their mineral density is replenished and e!en increased after lactation.

• iabetic $omen impro!e their health by breastfeeding. %ot only do nursinginfants ha!e increased protection from )u!enile diabetes, the amount of insulin thatthe mother requires postpartum goes do$n.

• =omen $ho lactate for a total of t$o or more years reduce their chances ofde!eloping breast cancer by 26 percent.



• =omen $ho breastfeed their children ha!e been sho$n to be less likely tode!elop uterine, endometrial or o!arian cancer.

• #he emotional health of the mother may be enhanced by the relationship shede!elops $ith her infant during breastfeeding, resulting in fe$er feelings of aniety

and a stronger sense of connection $ith her baby.

• $omans ability to produce all of the nutrients that her child needs can pro!ideher $ith a sense of confidence. esearchers ha!e pointed out that the bond of anursing mother and child is stronger than any other human contact. Holding thechild to her breast pro!ides most mothers $ith a more po$erful psychologicaleperience than carrying the fetus inside her uterus. #he relationship bet$eenmother and child is rooted in the interactions of breastfeeding. #his feeling sets thehealth and psychological foundation for years to come.

Social and Economic Benefits of Breastfeeding

#he benefits of breastfeeding go beyond health considerations. +others $ho nurse their children en)oy social and economic ad!antages as $ell. :or eample(

• =omen $ho breastfeed a!oid the financial burden of buying infant formula, ana!erage epense of >800 per year.

• Breast-fed babies are less likely to need ecessi!e medical attention as theygro$. "n one study, a group of formula-fed infants had >58,000 in health care costsin a si-month period, $hile an equal number of nursing babies had only >6,000 of

similar epenses.

#he ?atch

ny good lactation consultant $ill tell you( ?atching is e!erything. Heres ho$ to do it(

Position the baby on her side so she is directly facing you, $ith her belly touching yours.

%et, prop up the baby $ith a pillo$, if necessary, and hold her up to your breast@ dont lean

o!er to$ard her.

Place your thumb and fingers around your areola see step a/.

#ilt your babys head back slightly and tickle her lips $ith your nipple until she opens her

mouth $ide see step b/.



Help her AscoopA the breast into her mouth by placing her lo$er )a$ on first, $ell belo$ the

nipple see step c/.

#ilt her head for$ard, placing her upper )a$ deeply on the breast. +ake sure she takes the

entire nipple and at least 1 12 inches of the areola in her mouth see step d/.

breast milk helps keep your baby healthy

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