Making the Right Choice: How Breastfeeding Benefits You and Your Baby

The decision of how you will feed your baby when they are born is likely to dominate discussions while you prepare for the birth. It seems like most people have strong opinions on this subject, but at the end of the day, the decision will come down to what works best for you and your baby. Breastfeeding doesn’t work for all moms; while formula milk doesn’t offer the same level of benefits, it is a decent alternative.

In this post, we will take a look at how breastfeeding benefits you and your baby so that you can make a more informed decision when the time comes.

Protection

When your baby is born, they will have limited protection against infections and will be at risk of colds, viruses, and other bugs. That is because their immune system isn’t fully functioning at birth. Breast milk can help them fight off any nasty bugs they encounter.

Making the Right Choice: How Breastfeeding Benefits You and Your Baby

Breast milk is full of antibodies as well as all the nutrients your baby needs to help them thrive. It also offers much more effective protection than formula milk. Babies who are exclusively breastfed are less likely to suffer from gastrointestinal and respiratory problems.

Building a Bond For Life

Breastfeeding is an intimate experience which can help both of you. As a mother, you will feel a strong sense of empowerment and gain the benefit of a release of hormones which will strengthen your mothering instincts. For the baby, they will start to feel safe and trust you as they are held close. Many studies have found that this connection helps with emotional and physical development further down the line.

For Mum: Calorie Burner

One of the most effective ways a mom can burn calories after the birth of a child is to breastfeed. Every time you feed your child, you are sending calories over to your little one, which helps them develop, so this one is a win-win situation for mother and baby.

Long-Term Health Benefits for Both of You

Breastfeeding doesn’t just help protect your baby from diseases and infections; it can also help reduce the risks of the mother getting certain diseases. For example, breast milk helps your baby develop healthy bones while also reducing the chance of you developing osteoporosis. It can also reduce the likelihood of both of you becoming obese later in life, as well as developing some forms of cancer.

Convenient, Nutritious, and Cost-Effective

One of the major benefits is the convenience of being able to feed anytime and anywhere without having to spend ages preparing a baby bag with food for various times of the day.

Breast milk will also continually adapt to the needs of your baby as they grow. The levels of antibodies, sugar, and protein adjust in a way that is difficult to replicate in formula milk.

It is also significantly cheaper than formula milk and can save you money on medical bills due to their increased immunity.