Chapter 54
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the best and healthiest way to feed a baby. It also helps the mother to get back
into shape. This lesson will teach nursing mothers the importance of breastfeeding, and how to
get it going well.^1
8 Reasons Why Breastfeeding Is Important
- Breastfeeding is important because there is simply no substitute for human milk.
Many doctors recommend that mothers nurse their babies for the entire first year
of life, if not longer. - Human milk contains the ideal proportions of more than two hundred ingredients
including protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and
antibodies––that are not duplicated in any baby formula. These ingredients
provide not only the essential building blocks of growth, but also protect infants
from illness.^2 - Research shows that breastfed babies have a lower incidence of ear infections,
upper respiratory infections, asthma, allergies, and possibly even serious chronic
illnesses such as juvenile diabetes and childhood cancer. - Breastfeeding helps shrink the uterus back to its normal size. When you
breastfeed, a hormone called oxytocin is released which helps to contract the
womb back to its normal size. - It also helps to use up excess fat stored up during pregnancy.
- Breastfeeding holds back menstrual periods, which helps to replenish iron stores
lost during pregnancy and childbirth. - It gives some protection against serious illnesses like breast and ovarian cancer.
- A very important emotional connection is developed between mother and child
through the intimacy of breastfeeding^2