Breastfeeding – the benefits for your baby
Breast milk meets all your baby’s complete nutritional needs for the first 6 months of their life. It also contain nutrients called prebiotics, which the friendly bacteria in your baby's tummy feed on. These bacteria then help to fight off bugs and potential infections, helping your baby to grow up happy, healthy and ready for anything. It also contains omega fatty acids that help your baby’s brain develop!
Why breastfeeding is good for your baby
- It's completely natural
- Breastfeeding provides the optimal nutrition for your baby and contains all the nutrients and antibodies they need
- Breastfeeding decreases the incidence and severity of infectious diseases in babies such as diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, chest & ear infections
- Breastfeeding may reduce the risk of chronic diseases like food allergies, eczema and asthma
- Breastfeeding has been associated with a lower risk of obesity
- Breastfeeding is associated with reducing mortality during the first year of life and lower hospitilisation rates
Why breastfeeding is good for you
- Breast milk is readily available at exactly the right temperature, whenever and wherever you are, there’s no need to sterilise bottles
- Breastfeeding reduces the risk of developing pre-menopausal breast cancer and may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer
- Breastfeeding may reduce your risk of osteoporosis and hip fracture later in life
- Breastfeeding may help you return to your pre-pregnancy weight
- When your baby has skin-to-skin contact with you a hormone is secreted from your pituitary gland called oxytocin. This helps you and your baby bond.