Health Professionals Agree That Breast is Best - Here's What You Need to Know About Breastfeeding

The World Health Organization (WHO), Health Canada, the Canadian Pediatric Society and Dietitians of Canada all recommend exclusive breastfeeding of infants for the first six months of life. Exclusive breastfeeding means feeding an infant only human breast milk, without giving her water, formula, other liquids or solid foods in that time period.

But a 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey found that although approximately 85 per cent of mothers tried breastfeeding their babies, 27 per cent stopped after the first months and only 47 per cent were still breastfeeding after six months. On top of that, only half of that 47 per cent breastfed exclusively for six months.

"Breast is best"
Health professionals agree that breastfeeding is the optimal way to feed an infant. Breast milk is designed specifically for human babies. It contains the right amount of nutrients, in the right proportion, giving a baby everything he needs to not only survive but thrive. (The Canadian Pediatric Society, however, recommends giving breastfed babies a vitamin D supplement.)

Breast milk is easy for babies to digest, and it delivers important antibodies to help protect babies from infection. It's also specific to the changing needs of each baby. Not only does the nutrient content in breast milk change as the baby grows, it even changes throughout a feed. The milk at the beginning of a feed can be different from the end of the feed, and it can also change according to the time of day, the weather outside, and if the baby is getting sick.

Breastfed babies have fewer colds, fewer ear conditions and less diarrhea, and breast milk can help prevent allergies and asthma. That's not to say a breastfed baby won't get allergies, but breastfeeding can lessen their severity. It has also been found to reduce the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and some new studies even suggest it may help prevent heart disease and obesity when that breastfed infant reaches adulthood.

Breastfeeding can strengthen a baby's mouth and jaw muscles. With breastfeeding, it's an active mouthing or milking of the breast, so many, many more structures of baby's mouth are involved.

There are health benefits for mom as well. Breastfeeding can decrease the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and osteoporosis. It also burns an extra 500 to 600 calories per day, which could help mom kick-start that post-pregnancy weight loss. But beware thinking breastfeeding is going to turn you into a size one. If you're the kind of person that has always struggled with weight, you're not going to be suddenly skinny just because you're breastfeeding.

There is virtually no preparation time involved in breastfeeding, since a mother's body produces milk for the baby on demand. It is also low-cost, with no bottles, liners, nipples and formula to buy.

And there is no risk of overfeeding a breastfed baby. Newborn babies have stomachs the size of a cooked chickpea, and by the time they are a week old, it's only about the size of a cherry. That tiny tummy is easy to fill, and a breastfed baby will turn away from the breast as soon as she has had enough. Once that happens, it's pretty tough to force a baby back on the breast for more.

Breastfeeding blues
But all these benefits don't mean it's easy. There are some circumstances where mom or baby might not be able to breastfeed. Mothers with HIV, drug addicts and women on certain types of medication, particularly those for cancer treatment, would be ill-advised to breastfeed for risk of passing the virus, drugs or medication to the baby through the breast milk. Also, mothers who have had a breast reduction may find it more difficult to produce the amount of milk required.

Sometimes mothers of extremely premature babies are unable to produce enough milk. The baby might not have the proper suck reflex, and the mother might not be able to pump enough to establish a full milk supply. Similarly, babies born with a cleft lip and palate or who are "tongue-tied" (the connecting membrane that supports the tongue is too short) might have trouble with breastfeeding while they await surgery to rectify the condition. However, many of these children are still able to breastfeed, and mothers have the option of pumping milk until the situation is rectified.

Breastfeeding can be tough on new moms. If the baby isn't latched properly, it can cause sore, cracked or bleeding nipples, and, in some cases, mastitis, which is a breast infection.

Breastfeeding also means that mom is the only one who can feed the baby. Breastfed babies eat approximately every two hours, although this can vary greatly from baby to baby. Given the size of their tiny tummies, some babies may need to be fed even more often. When mothers breastfeed, they can't pass any of those frequent feeding duties off to dad or grandma.