Regardless of how you decide to feed your baby, mealtimes nurture that growing bond between you and your baby. There’s physical closeness between the 2 of you and quality interaction.
And if you decide to breastfeed, chest feed or produce your own milk, you’ve likely heard there will be unique health and developmental advantages for you and your baby. What are those advantages exactly?
From illness and disease prevention to helping you bond with your baby, we’ll explain what years of research have proven concerning the advantages of breastfeeding and breast milk.
Dietary advantages of breastfeeding your baby
Generally speaking, human milk is taken into account ideal nutrition for a baby’s growth and development. That’s because your body designs it especially for your baby. Research has shown us that breast milk is full of proteins, minerals and vitamins – all the things your baby must thrive. It’s also easier for most babies to digest.
Breast milk composition
The three major parts of breast milk are water – to maintain your baby hydrated – and lipids (fats) and carbohydrates to offer your baby with the calories they need. Breast milk also accommodates:
- Proteins that help your baby grow and develop, boost their immune system and support brain development
- Enzymes and sugars to assist your baby’s digestive and immune system
- Live cells that can assist your baby’s organs develop
- Hormones to assist with your baby’s sleep patterns and eating habits
- Amino acids that will help your baby sleep
- Vitamins and minerals that profit your baby’s teeth and bones
- Growth aspects that encourage healthy development in your baby’s intestines, blood vessels, nervous system and glands
The three phases of breast milk
Breast milk production starts while pregnant, but once baby is born, your brain, body and baby work together to start producing and increasing your milk supply.
In the primary few days after your baby is born, your milk volume is lower, but its composition packs a punch. That is by design because your baby’s tummy is barely concerning the size of a peanut M&M once they’re born. As you continually feed your baby on the breast, or pump and feed your baby from a bottle, your milk supply will begin to extend and change as your baby gets older. This process is mostly represented by three phases of milk production:
- Colostrum – That is that first type of milk that you’ll produce through the first few days. It plays in necessary role in your baby’s development since it’s high in antibodies and antioxidants, in addition to full of nutrients. It’s normally thick and yellowish, and the colostrum phase typically lasts for 2-4 days after your baby is born. It also coats your baby’s intestines and stomach to guard them and prepare them for mature milk.
- Transitional milk – After the colostrum phase, your milk supply will begin to extend to match your baby’s changing needs. So from 2-4 days to as much as two weeks, you’ll begin producing transitional milk.
- Mature milk – Around two weeks or so, mature milk replaces transitional milk.
Breast milk and antibodies
Through the previous few months of pregnancy, antibodies begin to pass from you to your baby through the placenta. These antibodies will help protect your baby once they’re born. This is significant because their immune system shall be brand recent.
Breast milk can assist proceed the work of the placenta, passing antibodies from you to your baby to assist construct their immune system and protect them from illness and disease. Your body has built up antibodies against colds, flus and other diseases throughout your life. And when you nurse, you transfer these antibodies to your baby. Quite a few studies have found that breastfed babies have lower rates of several different respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses, including things like ear infections.
Also, even when you’re sick, you can proceed to breastfeed or bottle-feed your baby breast milk – you’ll pass the antibodies to your baby from the infection your body is fighting.
Other health advantages of breastfeeding and breast milk for your baby
Various studies show that breastfed or breast milk-fed babies can have a lower risk for a variety of conditions, too:
- Obesity – Breastfed babies usually tend to have bacteria of their gut to assist prevent obesity during their childhood and even later in life.
- Type 1 diabetes – Studies have shown that the longer babies are fed breast milk and introduction to gluten is delayed, the less likely they’ll be to develop type 1 diabetes.
- Asthma – The composition of breast milk supports healthy lung growth and improves lung function, lessening the danger for asthma later in life.
- Allergies – If your baby is diagnosed with an allergy to something like milk, it’s safest to avoid it when breastfeeding. But because your baby eats what you do, breastfeeding can lessen the possibility of your baby becoming sensitized to an allergen later in life.
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) – It’s not known exactly why, but studies have shown that babies exclusively fed breast milk for the primary 6 months of their life, and then breast milk and baby foods from 6-12 months of age, had a much lower risk of dying from SIDS than babies who aren’t breastfed.
- Digestive upset – Exclusively feeding a baby breast milk may decrease rates of diarrhea, constipation and gas in the primary 6 months to yr of a baby’s life.
Other child developmental advantages of breastfeeding and breast milk
Breastfeeding has also been linked to positive brain development in babies, reminiscent of:
- The next IQ later in childhood
- Earlier language abilities
- Enhanced motor skills
- Higher critical considering skills and a greater memory than is typical for babies of the identical age
- The skin-to-skin contact that comes with breastfeeding can assist promote your baby’s mental well-being, giving them a way of calm and helping them learn to trust
Breastfeeding has physical, mental and emotional advantages for you too. Whether you decide to breastfeed your baby or pump, lactating can lower your risk for a variety of health issues, including:
- Breast cancer – While pregnant and breastfeeding, your body sheds breast tissue which may reduce your probabilities of developing breast cancer. Plus, hormonal changes can delay your menstrual period, reducing exposure to estrogen, which is a hormone that may promote breast cancer cell growth.
- Ovarian cancer – Breastfeeding can prevent ovulation, which provides you less exposure to estrogen and cells that may cause cancer.
- Hypertension (hypertension) – Breastfeeding and pumping promote higher levels of oxytocin, a “feel good” hormone, which may result in lower stress and lower blood pressure.
- Type 2 diabetes – Lactating can assist your body process glucose higher and result in higher insulin sensitivity, which reduces blood sugar levels, lessening your probability of developing Type 2 diabetes.
- Improve the transition from pregnancy to parenthood – Increased levels of oxytocin that can assist contract your uterus to its pre-pregnancy size and help you bond with your baby.
Breastfeeding and lactation recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatricians
The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) currently recommends that infants, if possible, be fed human breast milk exclusively until they’re 6 months old. And around 6 months old, first foods like purees or infant cereals, can start being added to your baby’s weight loss plan along with breast milk. But depending on several aspects, your baby’s doctor may recommend starting first foods earlier.
The AAP also supports continued breastfeeding for as much as 2 years old and beyond, if it really works for you and your baby. But after the 6-month mark, there’s no specific suggestion for the quantity of time that a baby must be breastfed. In response to the AAP, the longer you and baby breastfeed, the more likely you each are to receive the varied health advantages.
Is it okay to decide on to not breastfeed or chest feed?
Absolutely – recommendations aren’t a mandate. Selecting the feeding method that’s best for your baby and you is a private decision. From baby formula to donor breast milk, there are other options to providing nutrition to your baby that can help make certain your baby grows and thrives.
Know your options when feeding your baby
Whether you breastfeed or pump for two weeks or two years, or you determine to formula feed from the start, it’s necessary for you to make the perfect feeding decision for you and your baby’s health and well-being.
If you do decide to breastfeed or pump, finding the best lactation support will be really helpful for reaching your goals. Working with one of our lactation consultants or attending a support group with other breastfeeding parents can assist you along your breastfeeding or lactation journey to successfully provide breast milk to your baby.