6 Undeniable Benefits of Breastfeeding for Baby and Mother

All parents want to give the very best to their babies. As new parents, you would be wondering what is the best food for your newborn baby. Breastfeeding vs Formula is a choice many mothers have to make. Breastfeeding is the most natural way of feeding a baby and also the best way. It has been long recognized that there are a lot of benefits of breastfeeding a baby. With the marketing pressure for baby foods, it is easy for vulnerable parents to get distracted in their quest for providing for their babies. In this post will discuss the benefits of breastfeeding for a baby as well as a mother. We will see why breastfeeding is good and why we should choose to breastfeed our babies.

Breastfeeding is a natural way of feeding the baby and is customarily part of many societies. However, how long the baby should be breastfed, should anything be given along with breastfeeding, etc differ from place to place. But research around the 1980s has shown that the benefit is maximum when a baby is exclusively breastfed. WHO and various other breastfeeding organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) recommend exclusively breastfeeding your baby till 6 months of age. These recommendations are backed by very strong scientific data that confirms that a breastfed baby gets several benefits. Breastfeeding is natural and the way God intended babies to be fed.

Benefits of Breastfeeding for the baby

1. Breast milk is the Best Milk for your baby

Breast milk is the best milk for the baby. The nutritional properties of human milk are such that it contains all the ingredients in just the way your baby requires. Human milk contains fatty acids, lactose, water, and amino acids in the right amount and proportion which make it a recipe for a baby’s digestion, growth, and brain development. Colostrum, the first milk, is made for new babies and is the best first food. Breast milk contains all the ingredient that is just perfect for the human baby. The constituents are tailor-made to such precision that a mother produces the milk that is tailor-made for her own baby.

Qualities of Breastmilk

• Babies can easily digest and absorb Breast Milk
• It contains at least 100 ingredients not present in the formula
• Contains essential amino acids
• Rich in polyunsaturated essential fatty acids
• Better bioavailability of iron and calcium
• Protein and energy contents are ideally suited for supporting the growth of your baby
• Helps beneficial lactobacillus growth in the baby’s intestine
• Always sterile and free from germs and contaminants
• Served at the right temperature to the baby every single time
• Stronger jaws and tooth

“There are 4,000 species of mammals, and they all make a different milk. Human milk is made for human infants and it meets all their specific nutrient needs,” –  Ruth Lawrence (AAP Spokesperson)

2. Breast milk Protects from infection

Apart from the nutritional advantage, breast milk has several invaluable Immunological properties. Mother has antibodies to all the germs she has been exposed to. She transfers all these antibodies to the baby via Breast Milk. Therefore the baby stays protected against these illnesses. Mothers’ milk also contains living white blood cells called macrophages, which constitute 80% percent of the total cells in breast milk. These macrophages can kill a wide variety of germs like bacteria, viruses, and fungi. That’s how breast milk builds a solid protective shield around the baby from the early threat of germs.

Moreover, as breast milk protects the baby in the early days, it also helps in the development and maturation of the infant’s immune system. It protects against infection and prevents allergies. There is strong data to suggest that breastfed babies fall sick less often, make lesser trips to the doctors as compared to those not on breastfeeding. It is established that breastfed babies are at several times lower risk of suffering from the major killer diseases of children like diarrhea and pneumonia as compared to babies who are not breastfed.

3. Breast milk offers a survival advantage

Worldwide, 29 babies per 1000 babies born do not get to see their first birthday. Infection and malnutrition are the major killers of babies worldwide. Research has shown that the nutritional benefits of breast milk and the protection against infection actually translate into an actual survival benefit for your child. That means if your baby is exclusively breastfed he/she is more likely to survive the difficult early days.

4. Breastfeeding also protects against sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Though there are various steps to be taken to decrease the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, Breastfeeding as a strategy is not universally highlighted. A study from a German group analyzed 333 babies who died of sudden infant death syndrome against 998 age-matched controls found that breastfeeding has a definite protective effect. They showed that exclusive breastfeeding reduced the risk of sudden infant death syndrome by 50% at all ages throughout pregnancy. They went on to recommend including the advice of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months as a SIDS risk reduction strategy.

5. Breast milk has a good influence on the baby’s metabolism

There is a lot of scientific data about the good influence of breastfeeding on babies’ metabolism. Breastfed babies are less likely to suffer from obesity.  It also helps set the metabolic clock for the future as it protects against adult-onset conditions like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, etc. Breastfeeding also protects the child against cancers like Lymphoma.

6. It offers Psychological  and Cognitive Advantages:

Promotes emotional bonding between mother and baby:

Breastfeeding helps to create an early bonding between a mother and her baby. A strong Mother-infant Bonding is necessary as it is the essence of motherhood. It helps the mother to do so much hard work and sacrifice so much for the care of the baby and yet enjoy it. She does not feel any pinch of pain. It may be safe to say that the stronger the infant-mother bond, the more pleasurable motherhood would be.

Babies also benefit from bonding. Babies at birth are short-sighted and can see only 12-15 inches, the distance between babies ’ and mothers’ faces while breastfeeding. Studies have also shown that young babies prefer the smell of their own mother. As you are breastfeeding your baby you hold the baby close and you are more likely to cuddle or sing to your baby. Therefore breastfeeding is more than just a way to feed the baby. Babies derive a sense of security from their mother’s presence, which has a calming effect on them.

A parent of a bottle-fed baby may be tempted to put the bottle in the babies’ mouth and there is less likelihood of any human contact as the baby feeds.

Better neurodevelopment and intelligence:

The period of conception till the 2^nd birthday of the baby offers a window of opportunity for growth and development. Exclusive Breastfeeding is an important gift that a mother can offer during this time window. The Brain Food that breast milk contains includes long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, easily absorbable iron, etc. This together with the closeness and stimulus of human interaction that a breastfed baby is bound to receive, offers an unbeatable advantage over non-breastfed babies. A study in Harvard medical school found that children whose mothers breastfed for longer did better in language tests at age three and IQ tests at seven than children who were weaned earlier. So, choose to breastfeed for a smarter kid.

Also read:

1. 20 Common Breastfeeding Problems with Solutions for Stress-Free Nursing
2. Can a Breastfeeding Mother Take an Occasional Drink?

Benefits of breastfeeding for Mother:

Breastfeeding is mutually beneficial for the mother-baby pair. In addition to all the benefits to the baby, the breastfeeding mother also gets several benefits.

1. Helps in the involution of the uterus:

The uterus contracts better and comes to its pre-pregnancy size earlier in a breastfed mother. As the body of the mother is coming back to the pre-pregnancy state, the uterus also needs to do so. The hormone oxytocin released during breastfeeding helps the process.

2. Delays pregnancy:

Frequent nursing suppresses ovulation, menstruation, and pregnancy – it’s nature’s contraception. However, it is not very reliable as a contraceptive measure and you need to take precautions even if you are not having your periods while breastfeeding. Usually, barrier devices, depot hormonal injections, and intrauterine devices are safe. Birth control pills may affect your milk production. Talk to your doctor for more details.

3. Decreases mother’s workload, save time and energy:

Breastfeeding has its own challenges, especially during the early days. However, when you compare formula-feeding, it is much more hassle-free. There is no bottle to sterilize, no formula to buy and measure and mix. Night feeds are also easy. You can feed the baby lying down and doze off if you wish. While when it comes to formula feeding you would need to get up, prepare formula, get it to the right temperature give it to the baby and wait till your baby finishes. Besides some concerns about privacy, feeding during travel is also hassle-free.

4. Lowers risk of breast and ovarian cancer and Non-communicable diseases:

Breastfed mothers have a lower risk of having breast and ovarian cancer. The risk of non-communicable diseases like diabetes also decreases by 4-12 % in mothers for each year of breastfeeding.

5. Help lose weight and regain pre-pregnancy figure faster:

A breastfeeding mother needs about 500 kcal more during the period of lactation. Though nursing makes you have a big appetite and consume extra calories, you are still able to lose weight faster than those who do not breastfeed. Just breastfeed and enjoy your liberty of not having to be on a diet and lose weight just like that.

Your friends who did not breastfeed will be jealous!

6. Forces Mother to take much-needed rest:

Breastfeeding forces a nursing mother to take the much-needed break however busy she might be with household chores. As she feeds the baby, she must sit down, put her feet up every few hours.

 

You may want to read:

1. Problems After Childbirth. What Mothers Need to Know?
2. Why Mothers Need Some ‘Me’ Time and How to Get it.

Benefits to family and society

Apart from the benefit at the individual level to the baby and the mother, the family and society at large also benefits from breastfeeding. These include child survival benefits, economic benefits, population control, and being environment-friendly.

1. Contributes to child survival:

We have seen in earlier paragraphs how breastfeeding contributes to child survival due to its nutritional and protective effects. WHO cited a publication in Lancet to estimate that if all mothers followed the recommendation, it would save 800,000 infant lives annually.

2. Saves money:

At the level of the family, it saves you money from the freedom of buying formula (which is quite expensive). Though saving money is never a priority when it comes to babies, what can be a better deal if we are getting healthier and smarter babies while also saving money. Why say no to the benefits of breast milk?

At a national level, it saves money by producing a healthier and more productive next generation.

3. Promotes family planning:

As we have discussed how breastfeeding decreases the chances of getting pregnant during the period of amenorrhoea. Though you cannot rely on this contraceptive strategy at an individual level, at a national level it contributes to lower birth rates. Obviously, it cannot replace other birth control strategies

4. Environment-friendly:

Breastfeeding is natural and environment-friendly with hardly any carbon footprint. Think of the environmental impact of the Formula industry, papers used for packaging and advertisements, and the fuel used for making warm water….and multiply it by millions of babies.

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