You’ve seen the commercials where moms are lovingly feeding their babies with a bottle and the newest formula. However, before the commercial ends you hear the announcer make the statement that “Breast milk is best” but they claim their product is just as good. You may wonder about the benefits of breast milk and whether it really is best for your baby.
Recently there have been concerns about some formulas having been contaminated. Babies have actually died in other countries from these. Some of it even ended up on the store shelves in the United States. This is unacceptable and one benefit of breast milk is that you don’t have to worry about it being contaminated by melamine.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that breast milk can’t be contaminated, because what you consume goes directly into your breast milk. If you don’t wash fruits and vegetables before eating them, the chemicals on the produce could pass through the breast milk to your baby. For this reason, many physicians and lactation consultants recommend eating organic foods while you are breastfeeding.
Actually, choosing to breastfeed your newborn is one of the most important decisions you can make for your baby’s well-being. Not only is breast milk better for the baby than formula, there are also benefits for the mom. Let’s look at the benefits of breast milk for newborns and infants.
Breastfed babies have been consistently shown to:
- Require fewer hospitalizations
- Develop fewer respiratory, urinary tract, and ear infections among others
- Be less likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
- Suffer from fewer bouts of allergies and asthma as they age
- Have higher I.Q. scores
- Be less likely to develop obesity and cancer in later years
Breastfeeding benefits you as well, by showing:
- Less bleeding after childbirth
- Suppression of the menstrual cycle so you lose less blood during the first few months of your child’s life
- Lower chances of developing ovarian and breast cancers
There are other, more immediate and practical benefits of breast milk, as well. Did you know that breastfeeding is considerably cheaper than buying formula? Well, think about it, your body produces what your baby needs so there’s no rushing to the store in the middle of the night because you’ve run out of formula. Breast milk is free whereas formula is expensive, even with the coupons the manufacturers send you.
In addition, breast milk doesn’t have to be heated before being given to your baby: it comes readily available at the perfect temperature. You don’t have to worry about breast milk spoiling if it’s in the diaper bag too long, you don’t have to buy bottles (unless you pump and choose to), and your baby loves it. What better benefits could there be to choosing breast milk over formula?
