Breastfeeding Your Baby Preview | Page 4

Why Breastfeed

What is Breastfeeding ?
Breastfeeding , also called nursing , is the act of feeding an infant or child with milk made from a mother ’ s breasts during a process called lactation . The instinctive act of attaching to the breast ( latching ) enables the baby to stimulate the breasts to release milk . The milk then flows into the baby ’ s mouth , where it is swallowed and digested .
Providing a baby with human milk through breastfeeding is the natural and optimal way for a mother to feed her baby . Research has documented that breastfeeding not only provides the perfect nutrition for a growing and developing baby , but has many other benefits as well .
Breastfeeding Is Good For You
• Breastfeeding decreases the risk of excessive bleeding immediately after birth .
Breastfeeding Is Good For Babies
Breastfeeding provides babies with protection against many health issues and diseases , both short term and long term , including :
• Breastfeeding mothers often have better emotional health after birth and feel more • SIDS ( sudden infant • Asthma bonded

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with their baby . death syndrome ) • Diabetes
• Breastfeeding mothers report less
• Diarrhea
• Obesity depression , anxiety and stress after birth . • Ear infections • Bowel disease
• Breastfeeding mothers have lower longterm risk of breast cancer , uterine cancer , infections
• Developmental and
• Respiratory • Cancer osteoporosis and diabetes .
• Allergies behavioral problems
• Breastfeeding can help with weight loss after birth , since breastfeeding uses the fat stores created during pregnancy .
Breastfeeding Is Good for Families
Breastfeeding saves money — it is free ! Breastfeeding can also reduce health care-related costs by preventing illness and / or reducing illness severity .
Many women report getting more sleep with breastfeeding and room sharing with baby . When a new mother is more rested and less stressed , the transition to life with a new baby is easier on everyone in the family .
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