5 Benefits Of Breastfeeding You Cannot Ignore

The benefits of breastfeeding are more than we know of. Every natural approach has a huge edge over its artificial replacement (in this case: formula milk), and breast milk is no exception.

Whenever we are told about a certain thing that is good for us, our first question is always "why". Why this? Why not that? So when it comes to breastfeeding, many new moms come up with the same set of questions.

Why breastfeeding?

Because breastfeeding benefits you and your newborn like no alternate approach can. Period.

There has been a never-ending debate between benefits of breastfeeding and bottle-feeding going on for centuries, and in all this debate, breast milk has always been a clear winner. For details, refer to our breastfeeding versus bottle feeding article. Once you start to breastfeed, it will soon feel like your second nature and when the time comes, you may start thinking about extended breastfeeding.

However, there are times when you do not or cannot opt for this wonderful feeding technique due to many medical, social or personal reasons. Read our article on when not to breastfeed.

Let us look into some of benefits of breastfeeding. Even if you plan to bottle feed your newborn, it is always a good idea to take a wise decision after going through all the details.

1. Fights infections in newborn babies:

There are uncountable breastfeeding advantages. For instance, you may prevent or reduce the following occurrences in your newborn baby:

Diarrhea
Ear Infection
Asthma
Allergies
Obesity
Respiratory Infections
Meningitis
Jaundice

2. The Perfect Meal:

Breast milk can be easily digested by the little body of your newborn, hence causing a lower chance of your newborn getting diarrhea and constipation. Furthermore, breast milk contains vitamins and minerals that are required by your newborn to grow. Although formula milk companies are trying their best to replicate breast milk, and they are coming closer to an extent, yet, there are still many complex entities found in breast milk that these companies cannot easily replicate - not to mention there are some enzymes that humans still cannot figure out.

So, no doubt that the formula milk now available in the market is the best and the closest formula milk that has ever been produced, it is still not an exact copy of breast milk.

3. Free and Convenient:

Breast milk is all natural and 100% free! It is also convenient for you to feed your child as you do not require any kind of bottle sterilization procedures or temperature control of the milk. Moreover, it does not run out of stock. The more you feed, the longer will the stock last!

However, there are some breastfeeding accessories that can assist you well with the breast feeding process. For additional help, please refer to our articles on breastfeeding tips & tricks and 8 Effective Ways to Improve your Flow and Quality of Breast Milk.

4. Helps Moms:

Benefits of breastfeeding are not just for the infant; breast-milk provides a dozen advantages to the nursing mom as well. Some known advantages are:

Lowers the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.
Lowers the risk of ovarian, breast and uterus cancers.
Lowers the risk of diabetes.
Helps the uterus to contract and go back to the pre-pregnancy size.
Helps moms in reducing weight, and facilitates them to get back to their pre-pregnancy shape.
Makes the mother feel closer to the baby and hence strengthens the mother-child bond.

5. Prevents Jaundice in preterm and newborn babies:

How does breastfeeding newborns help in preventing jaundice? What is this thing called bilirubin in our baby's bloodstreams that we keep on hearing and reading about? Our highly informative article on Jaundice in Newborns covers it all.

There are many more advantages of breastfeeding that even doctors may not be aware of. Make sure you opt for this amazing milk. Even if you are a working mom with busy working hours, read our article on expressing and storing your breast milk so that you can shower your baby with the uncountable benefits of breastfeeding - even when you are away from your little angel.

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