| The health benefits of breastfeeding are well | | | | factors for the infant's digestive system that protects |
| established in the literature and also in history. Let's | | | | against diarrhea type illnesses. |
| face it babies have been breastfed since the beginning | | | | The baby's close physical contact with the mother |
| of time. | | | | through breastfeeding provides inoculation with the |
| Improved resistance to infectious illness: | | | | beneficial bacteria the infant needs to colonize the gut. |
| Breastfeeding provides the infant with many | | | | These microorganisms provide the raw materials |
| immunological benefits and protects against infectious | | | | necessary for the manufacture of certain vitamins and |
| diseases. The mother's immune system is more | | | | the digestion of solid foods when the baby's digestion |
| mature than a baby's over time the mother has had | | | | tract is more mature. |
| the opportunity to build resistance to many disease | | | | Early protection from allergies: |
| causing pathogens. This protection is passed to the | | | | A baby cannot be allergic to breastmilk. The protein of |
| infant in the form of antibodies in breastmilk. Colostrum | | | | breastmilk is "species specific" and therefore the baby |
| is particularly high in antibodies. | | | | cannot be allergic to it. During the first few weeks of |
| Mother's pick up microorganisms from their infants | | | | life the baby's gut lining is immature and permeable |
| through their close physical contact and produce | | | | meaning it will allow certain large molecules (like protein) |
| antibodies to any possible pathogens the baby might | | | | to leak from the gut. If these proteins enter the infant's |
| have picked up. In this way breastfeeding provides the | | | | immature immune system allergies are a possible |
| baby with an ongoing external source of antibodies, | | | | result. |
| that his own immune system is too immature to | | | | Breastfeeding protects against this by providing the |
| produce. | | | | infant with a substance called secretory IgA. This |
| Better digestion: | | | | immunoglobulin in colostrum and breastmilk prevents |
| Breastfeeding promotes the elimination of meconium | | | | the absorption of very large foreign molecules when |
| which is the substance that is in the baby's intestines | | | | the infant's immune system is immature. |
| from life in the uterus. | | | | The health benefits of breastfeeding are well known |
| Unlike commercially prepared formula the composition | | | | and pediatricians now recommend that breastfeeding |
| of breastmilk changes over the lifetime of the | | | | be the main source of nutrition for the infant for the |
| breastfeeding relationship and in this way breastmilk | | | | first year. The advantages of breastfeeding are so |
| meets the baby's nutritional needs at every stage of | | | | well established scientifically that it is recommended |
| life. | | | | that breastfeeding continue well into the second year |
| In addition breastmilk provides several protective | | | | of life. |