Benefits of breastfeeding for the newborn

Benefits of breastfeeding for the newborn

Hey readers!Greetings. Today, we shall be talking about something that is a part of every woman’s life- Breastfeeding. Whether or not you want to breastfeed your baby is totally a matter of personal choice. Often mothers who really want to breastfeed are met with certain challenges. This includes a poor latch, insufficient breast milk, inverted nipples and tongue tie in newborns. Before progressing any further, I would like to emphasize that no matter how you decide to feed your child, you are a great mother as far as you care for your baby. However, breastfeeding definitely has numerous benefits for the newborn as well as the mother. It is recommended to exclusively breastfeed your baby for 6 months and continue feeding for at least a year with other foods like fruits, veggies, grains etc. Let us read in detail about some of them…

The most important benefits of breastfeeding for the newborn are:

• Breast Milk contains a nearly perfect ratio of vitamins, proteins, and fats required by your baby. It is much easier to be digested by your baby as compared to formula milk or dairy milk.
• Your milk contains several antibodies that serve as the first line of defense against viral and bacterial infections in your baby. These antibodies are really important for your baby as his or her immune system is underdeveloped during the initial few months of life. If A is a type of antibody that is present in Colostrum, the first milk your body produces for the baby. Ig A helps in forming a protective layer on the mucous membranes of your baby including intestines and respiratory passages. Formula milk does not provide these antibodies. It has been found that babies who are exclusively breastfed during the first Six months of life have lesser bouts of loose motions, respiratory troubles, and ear infections.
• A skin to skin contact and eye contact is established during breastfeeding. This helps in developing a stronger emotional bond between the baby and mother.
• Breastfed babies have higher IQ and intelligence.
• The odds of developing serious diseases like Diabetes, Cancer, Inflammatory bowel disease, high Cholesterol, Obesity etc. has been found to be considerably less in breastfed infants.
• Formula fed and dairy fed babies tend to develop more allergies when compared to breastfed babies.

Breastfeeding is a win-win for the baby and the mother. The benefits of breastfeeding for mother are:

• Breastfeeding helps to burn Calories as secretion of milk needs energy. Therefore, mothers who breastfeed shed the extra pounds gained during pregnancy much faster when compared to moms who formula feed.
• Feeding your baby helps to secrete a hormone called Oxytocin. This is responsible for helping your Uterus shrink back to its pre-pregnancy size.
• Women who breastfeed have lower chances of developing Breast cancer and Ovarian cancer, later in their lives.
• Breastfeeding exclusively saves so much of your time and effort as you do not have to purchase formula milk and are saved from the chore of having to sterilize bottles and nipples, all the time.

Conclusion

Studies and researchers are finding more and more benefits of breastfeeding all the time. So, the choice is totally yours. I would like to add that even though breastfeeding is natural, it is not necessarily easy. So, if you face any problem breastfeeding your baby, you must talk to a doctor or a lactation consultant.

Uttpal K

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