pregnancy > what-are-the-benefits-of-breastfeeding

in those who are exclusively breastfed for at least 3-4 months. From a community standpoint, more exclusive breastfeeding means that fewer babies suffer, fewer parents miss work, and medical costs are lower. This is the main reason that local and national health professionals promote exclusive breastfeeding. This is what people mean when they say “breast is best”. But there is a lot more to it.

Breastfeeding protects mothers against negative moods.

Mothers’ moods become more positive during breastfeeding and less positive during bottle feeding. The effect is not permanent, but it may explain why breastfeeding mothers become so devoted to the act of breastfeeding. Ref: Health Psychol. 2002 Mar;21(2):187-93

Breastfeeding protects mothers against breast cancer.

We are just beginning to understand this protective effect. We now know that women at genetic risk for breast cancer (BRCA1 but not BRCA2 mutations) are half as likely (O.R. 0.55) to develop breast cancer if they breastfeed for over a year than if they do not. Ref: J Natl Cancer Inst 2004;96:1094–8

DHA may not be the only thing in mother’s milk that is important for infant brain development.

Infants who are breastfed exclusively for at least 12 weeks have better general motor movements (a powerful predictor of neurological outcome) than infants who are fed DHA supplemented formulas before that time. There is a lot more work to do before we understand the full impact of mother’s milk on brain development. Ref: J. Nutr. 133:4243-4245, December 2003

Children who are breastfed are less likely to be obese when they enter school and when they are teenagers.

We know this is true. But we do not know why. Even just a couple of months of breastfeeding seems to work. Ref: Int. J Obesity. (2004) 28, 1247-1256

So where does that leave you? Everyone is different, but why not line up some good support (a knowledgeable friend or a lactation consultant) and go for it? The good news is, your body has been preparing you for breastfeeding from the moment you conceived.
Editorial provided by Judy Hopkinson, PhD, IBCLC, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine.

(published with permission in writing from:http://www.expectantmothersguide.com/)