Benefits of Breastfeeding Essay -- Parenting Raising Children

Benefits of Breastfeeding Mother’s milk is the best food possible for the newborn baby. Breast milk works as an all in one nutritional supplement.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Breast milk works as a thirst quencher, medication, food supplement and for the mother it works as a weight loss program with no equal. Although, there are formulas that can be used for replacing breast milk, they do not have the same supplements as the natural milk from the mother. The American Academy of Pediatrics â€Å"†¦recommends that babies be breast-fed for six to 12 months. The only acceptable alternative to breast milk is infant formula.† (Williams, 1995). Breast milk is a perfect combination of nutrients and antibodies for an infant’s fast growing system. Breast milk is made up of fatty acids, water, lactose, and antibodies. The antibodies in breast milk help the baby fight off many illnesses within their environments as well as help them build their own immune systems. Without these antibodies babies tend to get sicker more often, and it can take the babies longer to recover from these illnesses. Since the food is coming directly from the breast rather then a bottle, there is less likely a chance of bacterial infection that can come from a bottle not having been properly sterilized. One of the great benefits of breastfeeding for mothers is the ability to loose the extra weight gained quicker. The mothers body uses alot of the stored food in the body and converts it to milk for the infant. Breastfeeding also hel...