Benefits of breastfeeding for mom and baby

Only 1 in 4 infants are exclusively breastfed as recommended by the time they are 6 months old.  Low rates of breastfeeding add more than $3 billion a year to medical costs for families in the United States.¹

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that infants are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months with continued breastfeeding while introducing appropriate complementary foods for 1 year or longer.²  The World Health Organization also recommends exclusively breastfeeding up to 6 months with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods up to 2 years of age or older.³

Breastfeeding is an investment in health and is a wonderful gift for you as well as your baby.

Benefits for babies

Babies who are breastfed have a reduced risk of:

• Asthma, allergies, and eczema
• Obesity
• Type 1 diabetes
• Severe lower respiratory disease
• Ear infections
• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
• Gastrointestinal infections (diarrhea / vomiting)

Benefits for moms

Breastfeeding can help lower a mother's risk of:

• Ovarian cancer
• Breast cancer
• Osteoporosis
• Cardiovascular disease
• High blood pressure and high cholesterol
• Type 2 diabetes

Breastfeeding also promotes faster weight loss after birth and stimulates the uterus to contract and return to normal size.

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/about-breastfeeding/index.html
2. American Academy of Pediatrics: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/3/e827
3. World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/health-topics/breastfeeding#tab=tab_1