6 Benefits Of Breastfeeding For Your Baby

There is much to be talked about the benefits of breastfeeding; it offers more than the basic nutrition and bonding with the mother. Breast milk contains all the vitamins and nutrients that are needed by the baby in the first 6 months of life and help the baby overcome illnesses.

6 Benefits of breastfeeding for your baby:

1. 
   

   Breastfeeding for at least the first six months protects the child from infections like stomach viruses, lower respiratory illnesses, ear infections, and meningitis; children that are breastfed have 20% lower risk of dying between 28 days and one year than children than those that are not breast fed. Secretory immunoglobulin that is present in large amounts in the breast milk offers a guard against invading germs by forming a protective layer on the mucous membranes in the baby’s intestine, throat and nose

   
   


2. 
   

   Protect your baby against developing allergies with breastfeeding; breastfed babies have lesser allergies than babies that are bottle fed or given soya milk. Secretory immunoglobulin in breast milk prevents allergic reactions by providing a protective layer on the baby’s intestine. This protection guards the intestine against inflammation and allergic reactions that cause health problems.

   
   


3. 
   

   It is again significant to note that the protection of breastfeeding lasts far beyond the breast-feeding stage; studies show that it also reduces the risk of the child developing certain child-hood cancers. It is believed that the antibodies in breast milk contribute to boosting of immunity power. It is also true that breastfeed children are able to avoid a host of other diseases like Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, blood pressure, high cholesterol and inflammatory bowel diseases that strike later in life. Studies have also shown a link between lack of breastfeeding and development of ulcerative colitis and Cohn’s disease.                                                                                                          
   

   
   


4. 
   

   Protect your child from obesity with breastfeeding; it not only protects your child from being obese in childhood, but also extends to teens and adulthood. There is a strong link between preventing obesity and being exclusively breastfed and being breastfed for a long time.

   
   


5. 
   

   You should breastfeed your child to boost your child’s intelligence; studies have proved to find a strong link between being breastfed and good scores in IQ, vocabulary and other intelligence tests. It has also been found that preterm babies with low birth weight improved greatly in mental development at 18 months when breastfed; experts feel the emotional bonding between the mother and child and the fatty acids in breast milk could be the cause for it.

   
   


6. 
   

   Breastfeeding lowers the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in babies; so it is best to breast feed your child as long as possible.

   
   

Have you decided to breastfeed your baby?