Breastfeeding Benefits to Baby
It seems obvious that nursing your baby benefits them directly but there are so many incredible reasons to do it that we created a whole category encourage you to keep your baby at your breast:
1. Breast milk helps the developing baby’s immune system and gives them immunities to disease
Formula doesn’t give any of these benefits. Breast milk gives babies antibodies from the mother to help fight disease and so breastfed babies get sick less. Williams in Breast-Feeding Best Bet for Babies says “About 80% of the cells in breast milk are macrophages, cells that kill bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Breastfed babies are protected in varying degrees from a number of illnesses including, pneumonia, botulism, bronchitis, staphylococcal infections, influenza, ear infections, and German measles. Furthermore, mothers produce antibodies to what ever disease is present in their environment, making their milk custom-designed to fight diseases their babies are exposed to as well.” This also reduces the number of doctor’s visits and co-pays.
2. Improves social development
Breastfed babies excel at both psychomoto and social development compared to formula-fed babies. This trend is clear even at 12 months of age.
3. Improved hand-eye coordination
The reasons remain unclear but it has been proved that breastfed babies are able to see and manipulate objects compared with bottle-fed babies.
4. Assists correct dental and jaw development
Breastfeeding is good for both a child’s tooth and jaw development. Babies have to use 60 times the energy to breastfeed as opposed to bottle feeding. The jaw is thus getting more exercise which in turn helps the formation of jaw and gives the baby straight, healthy teeth. The longer the baby nurses the less chance they have of having an undesirable positioning of teeth. This also leads to less money needing to be spent at the orthodontist! Breast milk also contains bacteria which helps to fight tooth decay which will keep your dentist bills down too.
5. Facilitates better speech development
Babies that are bottle-fed frequently develop tongue thrust difficulties because they are trying to slow down the flow of milk. Milk flows much faster from an artificial nipple and this can lead the speech problems later on in life. Babies miss out on the physiological sucking at the breast due to early weaning may have an interruption in correct oral motor development causing changes to both the strength and posture of the speech organs. This may interfere with chewing, swallowing, breathing and speaking.
6. Breastfed babies have higher I.Q’s
Breast milk increases brain and cognitive development. Formula, no matter what the marketing gurus try and tell you can’t compete on the same level.
7. Babies digest breast milk more easily than formula
Cow’s milk has twice as much protein compared to human milk so formula-fed babies get more protein than they need and excrete the rest. Breastfed babies absorb almost all the protein in human milk.
8. Breast milk helps rid the baby of meconium
Meconium is a tar-like substance that babies excrete when they are first born. The early milk, called colostrums, helps the baby to pass this through their body.
9. Better for premature infants
When babies are born prematurely their mothers produce milk specifically suited to their needs that has a composition similar to that of colostrums. This is different to the milk produced by a mother of a full-term pregnancy. Breastfed premature babies are more responsive than those being bottle-fed as well as being more alert during social interactions.
10. Cow’s milk irritates the intestines
Doctors agree that cow’s milk should not be given to infants until they are one years old as it can irritate the lining of the intestines and cause an iron deficiency and possibly anemia.
11. Breast milk is a natural tranquilizer for babies
Breast milk has a wonderful calming effect on babies and helps to soothe them and even to go to sleep. This can help even more during the toddler years and is even more of a reason to encourage toddler nursing.
12. Offers natural pain relief for babies
Breast milk contains endorphins which relieve pain and the baby gets lots of comfort from suckling at its mother’s breast. This helps to soothe scrapes, bruises and falls and helps after the administration of vaccines to sooth the baby and enhances the vaccine’s effectiveness.
References: http://boobiefed.com/reasons-why-breastfeeding-is-best
