Choosing to Breastfeed

Whether you are eagerly awaiting the arrival of your little one, or are already experiencing the joys and challenges of life with your new baby, you made an important decision when you chose to breastfeed your baby. The many benefits of doing so, no doubt made it an easy decision.

Breast milk- always heated and ready to serve from its convenient packaging, is not only your baby’s best nourishment to grow, but also the perfect source of antibodies created by your immune system to fight off infectious germs such as bacteria and viruses. Antibodies created in your system are passed through your breast milk onto your baby, offering protection against common infections, including intestinal and ear infections. During the first 6 months, your breast milk alone can provide virtually all the nutrients needed to ensure your baby's normal growth and development.

Made up of a complex composition of important proteins, fatty acids, sugars, amino acids, iron and many other nutrients which are tailored to meet your baby's specific and changing needs, Your breast milk has nutrients that are easily absorbed by your baby's delicate digestive system that far surpass any canned or bottled formula.

Breast milk is always sterile, and free of germs. For these reasons, children who are breastfed tend to have fewer problems with diarrhea, constipation and other digestive upsets than children who are fed formulas. The preservatives for a longer shelf life, additives and fillers to compensate for the nutrients that are lacking in formulas, provide no value to your baby’s health, and in fact, are harder for them to digest.

As a breastfeeding mother you are likely cuddling and snuggling with your baby more often than other mothers you know who chose to bottle/formula feed. In the first 10 days after birth, nursing mothers hold their babies more than bottle-feeding mothers, even when they are not nursing. They rock their babies more, speak to their babies more, and are more likely to sleep with their babies. This has shown to be an important part of the maternal-infant interaction and closeness, which is so important to starting good communication skills that lasts a lifetime with your child.

Because you chose to breastfeed, you as the mother have many benefits as well:

Your body works hard to produce your baby’s perfect food, therefore you burn more calories, and your pregnancy weight comes off easier while breastfeeding.
When you breastfeed, a hormone called oxytocin is released into your body to allow the milk to flow (the let down reflex), and this hormone is the same hormone released during sex, and brings on feelings of contentment and a relaxing feeling as you breastfeed your baby. In this way you and your baby become a happy team at feedings, and it decreases your odds at having post partum depression or “baby-blues”
Breastfeeding has been shown to decrease the chances of breast and ovarian cancer, and decreases the chances of developing osteoporosis in later life.

Yes, choosing to breastfeed was indeed the best decision you ever made for you and your baby.

Congratulations!

Copyright September 2003

-Ril Giles