The Benefits of Breastfeeding

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Breast milk is the healthiest food that you can provide to your newborn baby. Compared to manufactured baby milk, breast milk contains immunity-boosting antibodies and healthy enzymes that are beneficial to a child's growth. Scientists are yet to replicate these nutrients into manufactured baby milk. If you don't know how important breast milk is to babies and how beneficial it can be to them, here are some reasons why:

• Breast milk fights allergies and eczema. If you happen to have allergies that are dangerous or eczema that can be passed down to your little one, breastfeeding can help you prevent these from your baby. If you use soy milk or dairy milk, such as cow's or goat's milk for your baby, this may trigger an allergic reaction. However, if you choose to breastfeed your kid, it will provide him proteins that can be easily digested. 

• Prevents stomach aches and complications. Breast milk, as mentioned, is the safest and healthiest food that you can feed your baby. Breast milk is also easy to breakdown inside a baby's body too, so stomachaches are less to occur to your babies.

• Vaccines will be more effective through breastmilk. It has been proven by different studies by research groups and scientists that babies who are taking breast milk mostly show lesser bacteria response to vaccines that milk-based or formula-fed babies. 

• It helps in the baby's development. We all know how milk can help enhance one's brain development, but breast milk offers the whole package. Studies have shown that babies who are breastfed tend to have higher IQ scores as they grow up compared to those who are formula-fed babies. This is because the fatty acids that they get from breastmilk play as brain boosters. This can be beneficial especially when your baby will start to develop skills later on in their life.

• It has less risk of obesity. Unlike formulated milk, breast milk avoids obesity to infants. The reason behind this is mothers can sense if their baby is full when they breastfeed them. They have this "mother instincts" that they can feel if their baby is already satisfied with the amount of milk they had. With this, the milk intake can be monitored compared to those formula-based milk. 

While those are the benefits of breast milk for babies, here are the benefits that moms can get when they breastfeed their infants:

• It lowers down the risk of ovarian and breast cancer. Scientists and doctors have proven that mothers who breastfeed their infants have a lower risk of having ovarian and breast cancer in the future. 

• Reduces weight gain that occurred during pregnancy. Mothers who breastfeed will have a high chance of losing weight because breast milk production helps burn 300-500 calories a day. This is a slow weight loss process but it's still progress. 

• Eases your menstruation. Breastfeeding is known to delay ovulation, so you might not get your period for quite some time yet. Moms who breastfeed all the time won't get their period return between six to eight months after they give birth and for others don't get it for a full year.