Why
Breastfeed?
Best
for baby
BEST FOR YOU
An excerpt from LLLI's "The Womanly Art of
Breastfeeding," 7th revised edition, pages 6-7
When you breastfeed your
baby, you're providing him with the best possible infant food. No product has
ever been as time-tested as mother's milk. Human milk contains all the
nutrients your newborn needs and is more easily digested and assimilated than
any other infant food. As reassuring as this is, superior nutrition is only
one of the many advantages you and your baby gain from breastfeeding.
Putting your newborn to
the breast within minutes after delivery causes the uterus to contract and
reduces the flow of blood. It also results in the uterus getting back to shape
more quickly than it would if you were not breastfeeding.
With his small head
pillowed against your breast and your milk warming his insides, your baby
knows a special closeness to you. He is gaining a firm foundation in an
important area of life -- he is learning about love.
As his tiny mouth
eagerly milks your breast, your baby is performing an exercise that promotes
the proper development of his jaw and facial structure. Breastfeeding also
encourages a normal weight gain for your particular baby, which is good
insurance against a future tendency toward obesity.
There is no better
safeguard for your baby against the onset of allergies than breastfeeding. A
diet of your milk alone for about the first six months of life readies his
body for other foods. Human milk protects your baby against infection as well as allergies.
Living substances that are unique to your milk inhibit the growth of harmful
bacteria and viruses in his still maturing system. With fewer health problems,
you can look forward to having a happier baby. Many of these benefits are
explained more thoroughly in later chapters.
Brain development is
essential for the human infant and human milk contains all of the right
components to aid the development of baby's brain and nervous system. One
study showed that premature infants who had been given human milk scored
significantly higher on IQ tests at age 7 1/2 and 8 years of age than children
who had not been fed human milk. Another study showed that higher IQs
continued into adulthood.
For a woman, breastfeeding was meant
to follow pregnancy and childbirth. The milk-producing breast represents a
healthy progression in the natural sequence of reproduction that includes
pregnancy, birth, and lactation. Nursing mothers find that breastfeeding is a
naturally pleasurable experience.
The mother who is
totally breastfeeding -- not giving formula supplements or solid foods -- will
find that her menstrual periods will probably be delayed for six months or
more after her baby's birth, especially if baby nurses often. During this
time, a mother will have very little chance of becoming pregnant.
Breastfeeding uses up
extra calories and a breastfeeding mother's metabolism changes, which enables
most mothers to loose weight gradually without dieting.
Breastfeeding also
protects a mother from certain health problems. Studies show that mothers who
breastfeed for even a few months are less likely to develop breast cancer than
women who have given birth but never breastfed. Breastfeeding also protects
against ovarian cancer, urinary tract infections, and osteoporosis.
Breastfeeding results in
an appreciable saving of time, effort, and money when compared to formula
feeding. Minutes and hours of a mother's time are not diverted to the
preparation of baby's milk. Feeding the baby is a time to relax. Day and
night, automatically and accurately, milk is made and stored in the breasts.
The temperature is always ideal; the supply is pure and practically unlimited.
Breastfeeding helps us
appreciate the different yet complementary ways that men and women can
participate in raising a child. If you have older children, breastfeeding the
baby contributes toward their sex education. For a parent, it is an
educational process itself, of a rank and value equal to a course of study at
any prestigious institution of learning.
Breastfeeding is the
best start in life for a baby. Unlike so much that is considered
"best" and is often beyond one's wildest dreams, in this instance
the best is yours to give.
