Globally, less than 40% of infants under six months of age are exclusively breastfed, according to the World Health Organization. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months has many benefits.
Many women have problems at first breastfeeding their infants because their nipples hurt or because they are afraid they will not have enough milk to support their baby. These are just some of the most common problems. However, there are many more advantages than disadvantages.
The World Health Organization (WHO) celebrates World Breastfeeding Week every year from August 1-7 to spread the word about the advantages of exclusively breastfeeding babies during the first months of life. However, data provided by the organization show that worldwide only 38% of babies are breastfed.
Breastfeeding should begin as early as the first hour of a baby’s life. The organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months to provide babies with optimal growth, development and health. In the following months and up to 2 years of age, breastfeeding should not be abandoned, although it should be combined with solid foods such as fruit or vegetable purees, which, as reported by the WHO, should be administered with a spoon or cup, not with a bottle.
Benefits of breastfeeding
There are numerous advantages for both the baby and the mother. Breast milk provides all the nutrients that newborns need for healthy development. It also contains antibodies that help protect children from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhea and pneumonia. And it reduces the risk of gastrointestinal infections. Research has shown that in the long term, breastfeeding promotes good health throughout a child’s life by reducing the risk of becoming overweight or obese and suffering from type 2 diabetes. In addition, a curious fact is that breastfed babies achieve better results in intelligence tests.
Breastfeeding also has benefits for the mother. Breastfeeding helps to achieve a much faster weight loss after childbirth, to return to the figure of before and delays the return of menstruation. In addition, breastfeeding your child reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer in the future, according to the World Health Organization.