Breastmilk can begin a lifetime of good health:
101 Reasons to Breastfeed (from ProMom.com)
Benefits of Breastfeeding Over Time (www.normalfed.com)
For Baby
- Less chance of asthma and diabetes.
- Fewer allergies.
- Fewer skin problems, including dermatitis and eczema.
- Lower risk of heart attacks and strokes due to lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
- Reduced chance of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s Disease.
- Protection from certain chronic liver diseases.
- Higher IQs (average of 8-10 points higher).
- Three times less ear infections
- Five times less urinary tract infections.
- Twenty-five times less chance of SIDS.
- Less diarrhea and constipation
- Less chance of lymphoma and childhood cancers.
- Breastfed babies grow up to be leaner.
- Mother’s milk is especially designed for a preemie – its nutrition and digestibility is actually different than that of the mother of a term baby!
For Mom
- Mothers lose weight faster.
- Mothers experience less blood loss .
- Breastfeeding mothers have a smoother adjustment to hormonal changes following birth, decreasing the chance for postpartum depression.
- Two years of breastfeeding lowers the risk of breast cancer before menopause by 50%.
- Seven years or more of cumulative breastfeeding lowers the risk for breast cancer throughout a woman’s lifetime.
- Breastfeeding provides protection from ovarian cancer, osteoporosis and endometrial cancer.
- One month of breastfeeding lowers the rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
- New research has shown breastfeeding for one or more years helps protect mothers from heart attacks and strokes. Breastfeeding is heart- healthy.