HEALTHY BENEFITS OF BREASTFEEDING

Breastfeeding helps a baby build a strong immune system. Babies are born with some antibodies that they acquire from the placenta while inside the womb, but not enough to be perfectly protected from the organisms they come into contact with once their born. Until a child reaches four or five years old, their immune systems will not be fully developed. They have an competent system by six months, which leads many health professionals to believe that is enough time to breastfeed, but generally the longer a mother breastfeeds her child the better for his over-all health. A mother's white blood cells are passed to her infant through breast milk. Her Colostrum, a sort of "pre-milk" is packed with antibodies to help a baby fight illness. Also breast milk contains essential fatty acids, or EFAs. EFAs are extremely important for brain cell health and development in growing infant.

For the mother, breastfeeding has been shown to help stabilize hormones after the birth of the baby. Breastfeeding has also been linked to the release of the hormone prolactin which makes mothers feel more motherly.

These are just a few of the healthy reasons to breast feed a baby.

Breastfeeding Links:

Breastfeeding.com - Information, support and attitude!

FDA Article on the benefits of breastfeeding

Australian Breastfeeding Association - Authority on breastfeeding