Should you or shouldn’t you breastfeed? That’s a question only you can answer. There’s just so much debate about breastfeeding that only you can tell if it’s good for you or not.
Making the decision to breastfeed is a personal matter. It’s also one that’s likely to draw strong opinions from friends and family.
Now that’s pretty true. There’s always someone who has something to say about breastfeeding. Wedmd.com has this to add:
Many medical authorities, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, strongly recommend breastfeeding. But you and your baby are unique, and the decision is up to you.
The fact that breastfeeding is a personal choice, makes it more intriguing. You have the believers and the non-believers expressing their own thoughts and opinions about it. With all the debate and fuss about breastfeeding, you just end up more confused.
Be informed about breastfeeding. Learn more about it. Don’t allow yourself to be confused.
As far as we know, research has shown that there are a lot of benefits to breastfeeding.
Here are the 10 beneficial reasons why you should breastfeed your child:
10. Gives you a natural mama high. As you nurse your baby, your body releases the hormone oxytocin, which produces calmness and even sleepiness. This may explain why breastfeeding mothers experience less postpartum depression and have fewer incidences of child abuse and domestic violence.
9. More chances that your kid will be a foodie. Breastfed babies tend to accept a wide variety of foods when they begin solids compared with formula-fed kids that consume the same flavor day after day after day.
8. Helps keep SIDS at bay. A large German study published in 2009 concluded that both partial breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding are associated with a reduction in SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
7. Boosts immune system. If you breastfeed your child, he/she will have a stronger immune system and be more resilient to germs, bacteria, viruses, and other exposures.
6. Decreased risk of daughter developing breast cancer when older. Women have a 25% lower risk of developing both pre/postmenopausal breast cancer if they were breast fed as a baby, even if only for a short period of time.
5. Less chance for your child to wear glasses. Studies comparing breastfed and formula-fed infants show that visual development is more advanced in breastfed babies, particularly in premature infants.
4. Improves child’s facial development. Breastfed children have improved facial muscle development as a result of suckling at the breast. Additionally, breast milk’s bacteria fighting cells actually help prevent tooth decay.
3. Reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity & other bad stuff. Lead researchers found that mothers who breastfeed for one year and longer were 9% less likely than others to have cardiovascular disease; 12% less likely to have high blood pressure; 20% less likely to have diabetes; and 19% less likely to have abnormally high levels of fats in the blood.
2. Keeps your reproductive organs in good standing. In one study, researchers found that breastfeeding from 6 to 24 months throughout a mother’s reproductive season may reduce the risk of breast cancer by 11 to 25 percent (Lyde 1989; Newcomb 1994).
1. Keeps you pumped up with iron. Breastfeeding mothers help to restore their iron supply which takes a significant hit during pregnancy, labor, and recovery.
Breastfeeding is definitely the most natural way you can feed your child. The benefits are truly endless.
Aside from the fact that it strengthens the mother-infant bond, it also makes you and your baby a lot healthier. Nonetheless, it still gets pretty confusing most especially if you’re not producing enough milk. What are the options in case that happens?
The debate and fuss about breastfeeding will never end especially in this day and age where everyone has something to say. It’s time you have a more insightful opinion about breastfeeding. Learn more about the surprising benefits of breastfeeding from this great article by MamaNatural’s Genevieve.
Do you breastfeed or did you breastfeed your baby?
