Benefits of breast feeding cannot be ignored by the fact that it is extremely beneficial for both the mother and the child. The doctors recommend that an infant should be given only mother’s milk for the first 6 months and it should be continued along with semi solid diet till the child is one year of age.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) a child should be breast fed up to 2 years of age for physical and emotional benefits. This is known ‘as extended breast feeding.’ If you consider the health benefits of breast feeding it far outweighs the benefits of bottle feed or other methods of feeding the child in her/his first year of growth.
Various factors determine the dose and necessity of breast feeding the baby. For example if there is not sufficient lactation in a mother and the child remains hungry then bottle feed becomes essential to keep the baby well fed. When the mother is on certain medication and its side effects may pass on to the baby through breast feeding then also the baby should be given bottle feed till the mother is under going treatment. These factors are best decided by a paediatric.
Benefits Of Breast Feeding
Benefits Of Breast Feed To The Mother
Appropriate awareness about the benefits of breast feeding should encourage every mother to adopt breast feeding. It saves a woman from various life threatening diseases like ovarian cancer, uterine cancer and breast cancer. Breast feeding helps the reproductive organs to come back to their normal position faster after delivery.
Breast feeding prevents diabetes and post partum depression. Breast feeding helps the mother to lose weight faster as the extra calories are transferred to the baby through mother’s milk. Apart from health benefits breast feeding strengthens the emotional bond between the mother and the child which a bottle feed cannot achieve. It is medically proven facts that breast fed babies are emotionally stronger than those who are fed with a bottle.
Benefits Of Breast Feed To The Child
Mother’s milk is every baby’s right and you should not deny her/him this right. The first milk called Colostrums is a thick yellow liquid, it is rich in anti bodies that help to build the baby’s immune system. It is essential for the baby to make her/him immune to many illnesses.
Mother’s milk is easy to digest as it is natural and produced from what the mother has eaten. It carries all the nutrients, hormones, cells and anti bodies in a balanced form that the baby needs. Breast feeding prevents leukaemia, asthma, diabetes, diarrhoea, respiratory disorders or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in babies.
You do not have to worry about hygiene while breast feeding like it happens with bottle feed. Moreover formula feed is difficult to digest in the first few months as the baby’s digestive system remains weak and takes time to gain strength. A breast fed baby is more content and healthy. It has been observed that breast fed babies score higher in intelligence level.
