Your decision to breastfeed your newborn is a matter of personal choice. It’s also one that’s more likely to draw undesirable opinions from family and friends.
However, you are unique and so is your baby, and so the decision completely rests on you. This overview of the importance of breastfeeding might help you make an informed decision.
Personally, I believe breastfeeding to not only be a source of nutrition, but also an effective medical intervention (let’s say for premature babies). So here’s why I’d always, ALWAYS, recommend it over formula.
Breast milk has an incredible amount of nutritional value and all health authorities recommend it for babies till they are six months old, at least.
Thereafter, breast milk can be consumed along with other foods like vegetable and fruit purees, dal, etc .
The number of health benefits that breast milk offers is unsurpassable.
Exclusive breastfeeding can reduce the risk of numerous diseases significantly. Diseases such as middle-ear infections, stomach infections, respiratory tract infections, celiac diseases, many many allergies, and so on that could be life-threatening for your baby.
One very noticeable distinction between breastmilk and formula can be seen in the baby’s weight.
Not only does breastfeeding reduce the risk of childhood obesity but it also encourages a healthy weight gain in your infant.
I swear by this one! Breastmilk makes babies smarter.
What my week-long research has revealed is that babies that have been breastfed are unlikely to have behavioural or learning problems and have high intelligence accounts.
Breastmilk promotes weight loss in lactating mommies!
That’s awesome, right? I experienced this first-hand after all three of my pregnancies. There’s a lot of hormonal changes going on inside a lactating woman’s body, which is the reason why there’s a considerable increase in appetite! After about 3 months, your body will start losing weight naturally if you’ve been breastfeeding regularly. Adopting an easy work-out routine also helps (I have my own which I’d be happy to share with you guys!).
Breastfeeding helps in uterus contraction.
During pregnancy, your uterus undergoes a substantial increase in size (going from the size of a pear to almost taking up the whole abdominal space). Post-delivery, with the help of oxytocin, your uterus starts to take on its original size, which eventually helps reduce bleeding.
Mothers who regularly breastfeed have a lower risk of being affected by post-partum depression.
I, personally, didn’t go through post-partum depression (I consider myself fortunate, considering it affects up to 15% of mothers). However, second-hand accounts and research studies have revealed that women who breastfeed are less likely to be depressed post-childbirth.
Personal anecdote: All three of my kids were sound sleepers as babies! It is believed that babies that are breastfed are more likely to fall asleep sooner. This only highlights the importance of breastfeeding for your baby.
These were some of the best reasons why you should always encourage breastfeeding over formula or any other solution. I would love to know your views on the subject! Feel free to share them with me in the comments below.
