At a glance: What are the exclusive benefits of breastfeeding? Breastfeeding is the best way to feed newborns and babies; exclusively during the first 6 months of life and, together with other foods up to 2 years of age or until when the mother and child wish.
Breastfeeding helps establish and strengthen the bond with the baby. Breast milk is better digested, enhances intellectual development, and also contains antibodies that provide babies with protection against many diseases.
FOR THE MOTHER:
There is a lower risk of osteoporosis and hip fracture in old age.
FOR YOUR SON:
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Top 15 benefits of breastfeeding details
Defense against external risks: Breast milk contains antibodies that help your baby fight different types of viruses, bacteria, and infections. Breast milk is made up of lymphocytes and macrophages that actively destroy germs.
All these substances protect you against infections of all kinds, such as E.coli, salmonella, rotavirus, cytomegalovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, streptococci, candida albicans, etc.
Allergy prevention
Breastfed babies also have fewer allergies to food, environmental factors, and skin. In addition, children who are exclusively breastfed for the first three months have a lower risk of developing asthma. Breast milk has a high protein content and is the ideal food to satisfy the biological requirements of babies:
Another name that it comes to receive is colostrum, its appearance oscillates between white and yellow, and it is enriched with antibodies and nutrients that infants need in the first months of life. Provides a considerable amount of defenses and promotes the proper development of the immune system:
Breast milk has a substance known as immunoglobulin A that is responsible for forming a protective layer on the mucous membranes of the throat, nose, and intestines (which are distinguished by being very sensitive), against infections, viruses, and bacteria.
Helps decrease bilirubin absorptions and difficulties related to jaundice: If infants consume enough milk, it will dispose of excess bilirubin through excretion.
It has laxative effects: Breast milk is easily digestible, which is why newborns demand it constantly. Provides all the required nutrients, both at the right temperature and in the right proportion: Mothers’ milk consists of an ideal combination of varied and essential nutrients for newborns, from vitamins to fats and proteins. Also, as the child develops, the composition of the milk changes so that it can meet the various demands during the different phases of growth.
Breastfeeding protects against diseases
The natural food contains 415 proteins that destroy pathogens and more than 130 prebiotics, which create the correct intestinal flora in the baby’s stomach. This is why breastfed babies get sick less often and recover faster from infections.
Reduces the risk of being overweight
At 6 months of age, a breastfed toddler has a normal body weight and is less likely to gain weight as an adult; with each month of feeding, the risk of overweight and obesity decreases by 4%. The spectrum of type I and type II diabetes is also fading.
Gives the mother strength after childbirth
Breastfeeding is also a gift of health for mom. It triggers the release of oxytocin, which reduces the risk of postpartum hemorrhage immediately after delivery and speeds up the contraction of the uterus, allowing it to recover faster.
Protects against depression
Taking a baby to the breast activates prolactin, a hormone in the pituitary gland that supports lactation and acts as an antidepressant. This is the reason why lactating mothers are less likely to suffer from postpartum depression than non-breastfeeding mothers.
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What are the exclusive benefits of breastfeeding Reduce the risk of cancer?
Yes… Especially the breasts and ovaries. One year of feeding is enough to reduce the risk of disease by 5%. In women who breastfed for a total of 31 months after three deliveries, the risk of ovarian cancer decreases several times.
Higher IQ: Recent studies show that breastfeeding could be related to a higher level of IQ and better development of some of the baby’s skills. And it is that breast milk has better quality fats and proteins (especially for brain development).
Likewise, various studies carried out with neuroimaging techniques have shown that prolonged breastfeeding favors the maturation of areas related to intelligence and facilitates a better understanding of language and spatial vision.
Breast milk is free, which means significant savings in feeding the baby in the first 6 months of life.
Likewise, it is comfortable and easy to give, since the baby can be breastfed at any time and place without the need for prior preparation or any material.
Reduces the risks of obesity: Because breast milk provides the necessary nutrients as well as sufficient amounts, it carries a greater chance of maintaining a proper weight. In addition, it generates a feeling of satiety.
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