Health Benefits Of Breastfeeding For Both Mom and Baby

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Health Benefits Of Breastfeeding For Both Mom and Baby

By Benque James
March 15, 2022

Are you expecting a bundle of joy soon and wondering whether you should breastfeed your baby or not? If yes then you are not alone. Many new parents are usually confused about whether to breastfeed their babies or give them formula milk. Although your baby will still survive even without breastfeeding, doctors strongly recommend mothers breastfeed their babies. The mother’s milk is loaded with nutrients that the child needs to grow strong and healthy. It is also easily digested and contains the right amount of nutrients that your child needs to grow strong and healthy. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers should breastfeed their babies exclusively for at least 6 months and still continue breastfeeding even after the baby starts eating solid food. On the other hand, the World Health Organization recommends that mothers should breastfeed their babies for at least 2 years. So, what are the benefits of breastfeeding? In this guide, we will discuss the health benefits of breastfeeding for both mum and baby.

What is Breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding is simply the action of deeding our baby form the breast. Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. However, nearly 2 out of 3 infants are not exclusively breastfed for the recommended 6 months—a rate that has not improved in 2 decades.Breastmilk is the ideal food for infants. It is safe, clean and contains antibodies which help protect against many common childhood illnesses. Breastmilk provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first months of life, and it continues to provide up to half or more of a child’s nutritional needs during the second half of the first year, and up to one third during the second year of life.

Benefits of Breastfeeding For a Baby

Breastfeeding a baby has many benefits. Below are the main benefits of breastfeeding for a baby.

Benefits Of Breastfeeding For a Mom

Why Breastfeeding Can be Challenging?

Breastfeeding can be changing, especially due to exhaustion. Caring for a new born can be hard, especially when you are exhausted. Other things that makes breastfeeding challenging include sore nipples, clogged milk ducts, and milk issues.

What Are The Reasons To Breastfeed Your Baby?

Breast Care For Breastfeeding Mothers

Which Of The Following Statements About Breastfeeding Is True?

Breastfeeding is beneficial both to the mum and the baby. The most crucial health benefits of breastfeeding for both mom and baby is that it provides your baby with the right proportion of nutrients that help to enhance his health breastfeeding is also beneficial to mothers who, especially when it comes to bonding.

Health Benefits Of Breastfeeding For Both Mom and Baby

1.Breastfeeding Ensures That Your Baby Gets The Right Nutrients

Perhaps the greatest benefit of breastfeeding is that it ensures that your baby gets the right nutrients that he needs to grow strong and healthy. According to experts, the mother’s milk contains the right proportion of nutrients that the child needs to thrive. This means that if you feed your child with formula milk, he will not have the right nutrients that he needs and that may compromise his health and wellbeing. Immediately after giving birth, you will produce a thick yellowish fluid known as colostrum that is rich in protein and other beneficial nutrients that are not found in formula milk.

2.It Reduces The Risk Of You and Your Baby Getting Sick

Breastfeeding your baby also reduces the risk of him getting sick. Unlike adults, toddlers have a weak immune system and are at risk of getting many illnesses including, infections, colds, gut infections, middle ear infections, intestinal tissue damage, bowel disease, among many others. When you breastfeed your toddler exclusively for 6 months, you will greatly reduce the risk of getting the diseases mentioned above. This is because your milk is loaded with crucial nutrients and antibodies that will help to strengthen your baby’s immune system and thus fight diseases better.

Breastfeeding will also protect you from getting sick. Research has shown that mothers who breastfeed are at low risk of getting cancer and other types of diseases such as arthritis, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high blood fat, and heart disease. So, when breastfeeding your baby, know that you are also enhancing your health.

3.It Enhances Your Child’s Cognitive Function

This may come as a surprise to many but is true. Multiple studies have revealed that children who are breastfed for up to 2 years are usually smarter than those who are given formula milk. This is because mother’s milk plays a crucial role in the development of the baby’s brain. The rich nutrient content of a mother’s milk will help to enhance healthy brain development resulting in a smarter child. Research suggests that babies who are breastfed are less likely to develop behavioral problems and learning difficulties. Breastfeeding your child will help to enhance his cognitive function.

4. It Delays Menstruation

Breastfeeding your baby help to delay menstruation and ovulation for a while. When you breastfeed your child, you are sending a signal to your baby that it is not yet ready for another pregnancy and that will trigger it to delay ovulation and menstruation to ensure that there is a healthy gap between pregnancies. However, if you don’t breastfeed your baby, then you are more likely to get pregnant sooner than you expected because your body will get back to its normal functioning quickly. The fact that ovulation and menstruation will be delayed means that you don’t have to worry about getting pregnant soon. You will also spend precious time with your little bundle of joy.

5. It Helps Your Uterus To Contract Quicker

The uterus usually expands tremendously, from the size of a pear to filling almost the entire space of your abdomen. Once you deliver your baby, the uterus needs to go back to its initial size, through a process known as involution. The body has its own mechanism of doing this. It releases a hormone known as oxytocin which not only helps to make the delivery process smooth but also helps to strengthen your bond with your newborn. When you start breastfeeding your toddler, your body will release more oxytocin which will, in turn, encourage the uterus to contract and return back to its initial size. When you breastfeed your child, your uterus will retune to its initial size quicker, meaning you will get your normal body size faster.

Final Verdict

If you have been having second thoughts about breastfeeding your baby once you deliver, we hope that now you know why you need to breastfeed your baby. The Health Benefits of Breastfeeding for Both Mom and Baby are many and that is why new mothers are encouraged to breastfeed their babies exclusively for 6 months and continue breastfeeding them until they are 2 years old. This will help to enhance your health and that of your little one.