The benefits of breastfeeding

Wah.. Minggu ni adalah minggu Breastfeeding.

Tahniah para penyusu badan. kaum ibu la.

Jadi mari kita tengok apa benefit dari penyusuan bayi ini ke atas Si ibu dan anak.

  

One reason to breastfeed your baby is that it helps to encourage bonding and this has been found to have an important impact on their development later on. Released prolactin calms both mother and baby, endorphins will comfort a baby and oxytocin released promotes bonding and maternal instinct.

   

Breast milk provides all the relevant and important nutrients that a baby needs in the first few months of life. The added nutrients in breast milk help to boost cognitive development, encourage growth and progress.

 

Babies who are breastfed have a lower risk of becoming obese, as a protein in breast milk affects how the body stores fat. Babies who are breastfed will regulate how much they consume, whereas a bottle fed baby will be encouraged to finish the bottle. This can cause them to overeat when they are older as eating patterns are learnt early on and they can lose touch with instinctive hunger signals.

 

Breastfeeding is advised in the first six months to a year of a baby's life to help strengthen their immune system so they can fight off certain illnesses. Babies that are fed on breast milk are less likely to be sickly as the milk contains certain immunities and antibodies that help to protect them.

 

reast milk also contains a fatty acid called DHA which encourages the baby's eyes to develop healthily. It also helps to support health brain development and protects the heart and the nervous system.

 

Mothers who breastfeed their babies are also benefiting from it too, as they reduce their risk of breast and ovarian cancer at later stages in life. Breastfeeding will also help a new mother to lose the pre baby weight she gained during pregnancy. 

 

Breastfeeding has also been found to help a baby's jaw and teeth to develop straight, as they constantly use the muscles for sucking in comparison to bottle fed babies. Breastfeeding a baby will also reduce the risk of tongue thrust problems which can affect speech and gum disease.

 

Studies have also found that women who formula feed their babies rather than breastfeed, are four times more likely to develop osteoporosis later in life. Breast milk will also strengthen a babies' bones more than formula milk.

 

Some mothers develop gestational diabetes while they are pregnant. Breastfeeding can help ensure that this doesn't develop into Type 1 or 2 diabetes. This is because a new mother, who had gestational diabetes while pregnant, who breastfeeds their baby will have lower blood sugar levels and won't need as much insulin.