Which mother wouldn't like her baby to be healthy and get the many benefits of breastfeeding? Breastfeeding is not only good for the baby's health but it is also very beneficial for the mother in many ways.
Breastfeeding Provides Essential Nutrition To The Baby
Breast milk is beneficial to the baby and her mother in many ways. Basically, it provides the optimum amount and type of nutrition to the baby for its healthy growth. Breast milk contains lactoferrin, an essential element that has many functions. It helps in iron absorption and fights the bacteria that can harm the gut. Breastfeeding also provides lipases that help in the metabolism of fats and gives other useful hormones that help in the development and growth of the baby. Besides quenching thirst, mother's milk also satisfies hunger and gets the baby to be accustomed to various tastes and flavors that vary with the diet of the mother. Formula milk is in no way equal to what breast milk can provide to the baby by way of adapting to its nutritional needs and strengthening its immune system.
How Breast Milk Gives Immunization To A Baby
Out of all the benefits of breastfeeding, immunization is perhaps the most important. Human milk provides antibodies that guard babies from many intestinal and respiratory ailments. The immunization process is facilitated due to the presence of immune cells and Colostrum. The benefits of breastfeeding include protection of the baby from many bowel diseases like Crohn's disease, Celiac sprue, rheumatoid arthritis and immune system cancers like lymphoma. All these diseases are very common among babies fed on formula milk. If the babies switch over to human milk, immediate improvements are noticed. Besides these diseases, the benefits of breastfeeding also include protection of the baby from developing eczema, allergies and asthma.
The growth pattern of breastfed infants is different from formula-fed babies as the former have a faster growth in the beginning and then by the end of their first year, their growth slows down. The latter, however, exhibit constant growth but are also more likely to become obese when they become adults.
Breastfeeding Also Helps Intellectual Growth
Apart from the physical benefits of breastfeeding, breastfeeding is also very helpful in the development of the brain of the infant as it contains DHA (docosohexaenoic acid) and AA (arachidonic acid). Moreover, breastfed babies spend a lot of time in the "quiet alert" state, which acts as a catalyst to the process of learning.
Emotional Aspect
The benefits of breastfeeding also include bondage between the mother and the child. An emotional tie-up is established by the skin-to-skin contact that leads to proper nurturing of the baby. Moreover, suckling at the breast helps in oral development and it does not lead to tooth decay as is the case with bottle-fed babies. The hand-to-eye coordination of the baby is also fine-tuned when the baby suckles the breast and resorts to "side-switching."
Some form of human milk is recommended even for those babies whose mothers are unable to produce sufficient quantities of milk. The benefits of breastfeeding make it essential for all babies worldwide to take human milk. The very fact that Nature has provided the system of breastfeeding is enough justification to discard all alternative artificial feeding systems and obtain the benefits of breastfeeding.
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