Why breast milk?
There is no better food for a baby than breast milk to give your baby the best start in life. After all it was designed by Mother Nature to contain everything your baby needs to thrive for the first six months and be the perfect complement to first foods for the first year and beyond.
The Department of Health recommends breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life and there are plenty of good reasons why you should breastfeed:
Benefits for your baby:
- It’s packed with antibodies to protect your baby against infection: ear infections, chest infections, diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, stomach upsets.
- It reduces the likelihood of developing allergies such as asthma, eczema, wheezing.
- Lower risk of diabetes.
- Better mouth formation and straighter teeth.
- Breast milk is sterile and always at the right temperature.
- It’s easy for your baby to digest.
- It improves brain development in young babies.
- Less obesity.
Benefits for you:
- Breast milk is free.
- Breastfeeding helps your womb return to its normal size more quickly after the birth.
- Women who breastfeed have some protection from certain conditions in later life such as ovarian and breast cancer and osteoporosis.
- It uses up about 800 calories a day, so it can help you lose some of the weight you put on during pregnancy.
- Breastfeeding makes your body produce feel-good hormones, which make you and your baby happy, and it’s a great excuse to watch lots of television or read a book!