Yes, you SHOULD breastfeed for as long as possible!
Come, come… I’ve got a secret to tell you!
“No matter what they tell you… Breast is Best!”
Everything else comes second!
Now, here’s 5 reasons for why that’s true….
1. It is Recommended For Use When Medically Necessary
Artificial baby milk, also known as formula, is created to ensure that babies with no access to breast milk could eat! Because after all, fed is best! 😉 It was not created to replace breast milk for the sake of replacing breast milk!
The best way I’ve heard it put is like this:
The first rule of lactation is feed the baby. The second rule is protect the mother’s breast milk supply. If we do not have breast milk available, then we use formula if it is medically necessary. The issue is that most of the time, it is not medically necessary.-BFCAA
You wouldn’t give your baby other artificial supplements if you could help it, so why start with formula when it’s not necessary?!
Exclusive Breastfeeding is advised for at least the first 6 Months unless the following are true for you:
Your baby was born before 32 weeks
You baby has an extremely low birth weight (mixed feeding is necessary for a while).
You have HIV
You baby needs special dietary needs
You have or have had breast cancer
2. It Can Prevent Newborn Illness
Newborn babies have weak immune systems and they can get sick very fast. When a newborn baby does develop an infection, it can become a great cause for concern. If a doctor suspects that a newborn baby has an infection, he will begin antibiotic treatment right away.
BUT you can prevent this!
Breast milk builds up a baby’s immune system MASSIVELY! Which means the baby that gets the milk, beats viral, bacterial and parasitic infections so much more easily than the baby that doesn’t get the milk. #WINNING!
3. It Can Save You Money
The cost of formula feeding a baby of course varies from family to family. but on average breastfeeding can save you anywhere between £2,000 to £4,000 per year! Let’s put that another way! Formula feeding will cost you an EXTRA £2,000 to £4,000 per year!
That’s in ADDITION to the cost of clothes, nappies, toys, food (when they move on after 6 months) and other necessary equipment!
4. It Inspires Other Mothers
Here’s one you may have not heard of before! Breastfeeding helps to inspire other mothers to do that same!
It’s true that most mothers want to breastfeed but either they don’t have the support that they need or they don’t feel comfortable doing so.
Seeing another mother feed their baby so freely, will make them feel more comfortable to do the same. This is particularly true for feeding on public! Check out The Breastfeeding in Public Survival Guide here for some tips on feeding comfortably in public!
In this scenario, you’re not only helping your baby but you helping other families to benefit from the awesomeness of breastfeeding and breast milk!
5. Lose Weight With So Little Effort
If I describe breastfeeding in the early days as something which requires such little effort I’d be a liar. But once you’ve gotten the hang of it you’ll be reaping the benefits for months and years to come!
For a lot of women in the West, weight gain during pregnancy is daunting! Which means that weight loss is an inevitable endeavour once the baby is out!
Now, most doctors prescribe rest from exercise for the first 6 weeks after a natural delivery and longer after a c-section. But, with breastfeeding you don’t have to wait a single minute before you can start to get rid of any extra weight.
Within the first 60 minutes you are advised to and, thankfully, assisted in, feeding your baby breast milk.
“Breast milk contains 20 calories per ounce, so if you feed your baby 20 ounces a day, that’s 400 calories you’ve swept right out of your body.”Hurrah!
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