What are the benefits of breastfeeding?
Breastfeeding offers many benefits to the baby:
- Breast milk provides the right balance of nutrients
to help an infant grow into a strong and healthy toddler.
- Breastfed infants, and those who are fed expressed
breast milk, have fewer deaths during the first year and experience
fewer illnesses than babies fed formula.
- Some of the nutrients in breast milk also help
protect an infant against some common childhood illnesses and infections,
such as diarrhea, middle ear infections, and certain lung infections.
- Some recent NICHD-supported research also suggests
that breast milk contains important fatty acids (building blocks)
that help an infant's brain develop. Two specific fatty acids,
known as DHA and AA, may help increase infants’ cognitive
skills. Many types of infant formulas available in the United States
are fortified with DHA and AA, and all formula available for preterm
infants is fortified with these fatty acids.
Breastfeeding also benefits the mother:
- In response to the baby's sucking, the mother's
body releases a hormone that makes her uterus contract and get
smaller.
- Many mothers also get emotional benefits from
breastfeeding because of the closeness of this interaction with
the baby and from the satisfaction of helping to nourish their
babies.
- Some research suggest that mothers who breastfeed
their babies have fewer episodes of post-delivery depression.
- There is evolving evidence to indicate that
certain types of cancer (such as breast, uterus, and ovarian cancer)
occur less often in mothers who have breastfed their babies.
- Many societies and cultures also encourage
mothers to breastfeed, which can offer support to a new mother.
What if I have trouble breastfeeding?
Even though breastfeeding is a natural process,
it's not always easy. Many health care providers suggest that women
work with a lactation counselor (also known as lactation
consultant) or lactation specialist to learn how to breastfeed
and what is involved with breastfeeding. Many health centers, clinics,
and hospitals have lactation counselors on staff. Ask your health
care provider for more information about getting help with breastfeeding.
Even with help, though, some women still have trouble breastfeeding
or cannot breastfeed.
Are there cases in which it is better not to breastfeed?
In certain situations, health care providers may
advise a woman not to breastfeed:
- A woman with certain health conditions, such
as HIV or active tuberculosis, should not breastfeed because she
risks giving the infection to her infant through her breast milk.
- Women who actively use drugs or do not control
their alcohol intake, or who have a history of these situations,
may also be advised not to breastfeed.
- Certain medicines, including some mood stabilizers
and migraine medicines, can also pass through the breast milk and
cause harm to the infant.
- Women with certain chronic illnesses may be
advised not to breastfeed, or to take special steps to ensure their
own health while breastfeeding. For example, women who have diabetes
may need to eat slightly more food while they breastfeed, to prevent
their blood sugar levels from dropping.
- Women who have had breast surgery in the past
may face some difficulties in breastfeeding.
Please note: engorgement, hardening of the breast, “breast
abscess,” fever, and use of pain medications or antibiotics
are NOT reasons to stop breastfeeding. In fact, in some cases—such
as breast abscess or breast hardening—emptying of the breast
helps to relieve the problem.
If a mother stops breastfeeding before the child is a year old,
then she should feed her infant iron-fortified, commercially available
formula. Health care providers advise women not to give their infants
cow's milk until the child is at least a year old.
If you have any health conditions, or you are taking any medications
or over-the-counter supplements, you should discuss breastfeeding
with your health care provider.
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