Dr. Shalini Sharma

Breast milk provides essential nutrients for infants and is a mix of nutrients, which include vitamins, proteins and fat that are necessary for a baby's growth. Apart from benefitting babies, breastfeeding benefits mothers too.

Here are 5 benefits of breastfeeding:

1. Provides nutrients and protection to the baby - The best food a mother can give to her baby is her breast milk. It helps your baby to grow and develop. Breast milk is custom-made by all mothers for their own babies and, thus, contains a perfect mix of essential nutrients. Breast milk contains a mixture of protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins and minerals, which are very important for the proper growth and development of the baby. It also contains many antibodies that reduce the chance of diseases and allergies. In fact, the milk's content changes as your baby grows to keep up with the infant's needs.
2. Convenience - The milk from breasts is always safe and fresh, and is precisely of the right temperature, which what makes it a convenient food for the baby. What's more, it doesn't require heating, boiling or sterilizing as such; and can be fed to the baby anywhere, anytime.
3. Benefits mothers - According to a research, breastfeeding, to an extent, provides protection against breast and ovarian cancer. It also serves as a measure of protection against weak bones in the later part of life. Calories are required in order to produce milk. So, breastfeeding helps to gradually lose weight after pregnancy as well. Moreover, breast feeding also defers the return of menstruation for a little while.
4. Continues the special relationship between mother and child - The bond between a mother and a child strengthens due to the intimacy and the closeness involved in breastfeeding. One of the remarkable facts about this is the more a baby breastfeeds, the more milk the mother produces.
5. Reduces the risk of obesity: It reduces the risk of allergic diseases and obesity in children during infancy and their life ahead. Barker hypothesis says that there is a possibility of fetal origin of adult diseases, so early obesity may predispose child to diabetes and hypertension in later life which decreases significantly with breastfeeding. Ideal situation is exclusive breast feeding till 4-6 moths followed by a phase of complimentary feeding with breastfeeding and to continue breastfeeding till 2 yrs and beyond. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Pediatrician.