Breastfeeding is amazing in so many ways. From the intense bond it can help you form with your baby in the first hours after birth, to the benefits it has on your baby’s health even into adulthood, there’s a reason breast milk is called “liquid gold.” This precious breast milk nourishes your baby, adapts to what they need and helps them fight any infections or illnesses.
*Every parent has a choice about how they feed their baby, this blog is not trying to convince you to breastfeed but to outline interesting points related to breastfeeding and breastmilk that you might not be aware of.
Facts about breastfed babies:
- A newborn can only see things clearly in focus 8 to 15 inches away from their face, meaning they can see you while they’re nursing. Talk about bonding!
- Babies have a well-developed sense of smell and know their mama’s specific breast milk scent. That’s why they’ll turn their head to you when hungry.
- Many studies show that breastfed babies are less likely to get ear, respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.
- When a baby is going through a growth spurt, she will want to nurse more frequently—your breasts will take the hint by increasing the fat content.
Facts about breastfeeding & breast milk:
- Breast milk is a living substance that contains live cells, including stem cells, which go on to become other body cell types like brain, heart, kidney, or bone tissue.
- Breast milk also contains antibodies and live white blood cells that help your baby fight against infection. And, when you or your baby are sick, the amount of these cells in your breast milk increases.
- Your brain releases the hormones prolactin and oxytocin during breastfeeding, which help you to bond with baby and ease those normal feelings of stress and anxiety.
- The amount of breast milk you are able to produce has nothing to do with your breast size. A mom with small breasts can have just as much (or more!) milk-making tissue as a mom with large breasts.
- Mothers who breastfeed have a lower risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes, and postpartum depression. And, the longer a woman breastfeeds in her lifetime, the more protection she receives.
- Breastfeeding lowers your baby’s risk of common childhood illnesses, including ear infections, respiratory infections, and gastroenteritis. For preterm infants, mother's own milk reduces the risk of and provides some protection from necrotizing entercolitis, infection, and less severe retinopathy of prematurity.
We hope you've enjoyed reading facts about breastfeeding! If you'd like to add your own leave a comment below.