18 benefits of breastfeeding

Breastfeeding incorporates many benefits for both the newborn and the mother. Despite the fact that breast milk is the ideal food for babies, in Spain, only 40% of children aged 6 months enjoy its benefits. According to data from the Global Breastfeeding Summit, only 40% of 6-month-old babies in Spain are breastfed, a rate far below that recommended by the World Health Organization.

Even so, up to 50% of health professionals do not perceive it as a public health problem, despite the importance of breastfeeding for both the baby and the breastfeeding mother.

We start from the premise that breast milk is the ideal food for newborns, since it covers the specific needs in each phase of growth and contains antibodies that protect them from gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases.

Advantages of breastfeeding for the baby

1. Colostrum, which is the first milk secreted by the mammary glands in the first hours after birth, is rich in immunoglobulins, proteins, minerals, vitamins, fats and lactose, which promotes the initial stimulation of the baby’s still immature immune system and favors the development of the intestinal flora.
2. Breast milk is perfectly adapted to the immaturity of the newborn’s digestive and renal systems. For these reasons, breastfed babies have fewer gastrointestinal infections, fewer respiratory infections and less atopic eczema.
3. The nutritional composition of breast milk is adapted to each growth phase, which is impossible with adapted breastfeeding. The baby itself regulates milk production by increasing or decreasing the demand according to its needs.
4. It accentuates the mother-child bond, which stimulates the baby’s security. Contrary to what is often said about babies becoming accustomed to being held too often, numerous studies show that the security that comes from being in the arms of the mother and father translates into more independent adults with higher self-esteem.

Advantages of breastfeeding for the mother

1. It accentuates the mother-child bond.
2. It releases endorphins, thus increasing emotions related to well-being.
3. It favors postpartum recovery, since it decreases bleeding and allows the uterus to recover its normal size more quickly.
4. It allows the recovery of iron reserves lost after childbirth, since menstruation does not reappear until months after delivery.
5. It favors the loss of weight gained during pregnancy, since the fat reserves created during the last trimester are used as a source of energy for milk production.
6. There is evidence of a relationship between breastfeeding and a decreased risk of ovarian and breast cancer.

There are some guidelines that may be helpful in establishing breastfeeding correctly:

1. A woman can prepare herself during pregnancy by attending a breastfeeding group, as seeing mothers breastfeeding is motivating and provides tools to cope with the initiation of breastfeeding.
2. Choose, whenever possible, a birth with little medicalization, since tubes, airways and episiotomy points make it difficult for the mother to position herself correctly.
3. Encourage skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth so that breastfeeding is initiated within the first hour after birth.
4. Avoid separating mother and baby during their stay in the hospital or clinic, since the baby needs to be breastfed on demand. What favors milk production is the sucking of the child and for this reason the baby should be allowed to latch on to the mother’s breast for as long as necessary.
5. The health personnel should advise but never choose what the baby’s feeding should be. In turn, family members should encourage the mother’s decision and help her to breastfeed normally.
6. Visits should be respectful and infrequent, as both mother and baby need peace and privacy.
7. The baby’s cry is the way he/she communicates and it does not always mean hunger, so there is no need to resort to complementary bottles with normal breastfeeding.
8. It is important to remember that every woman, except in very specific clinical cases, can breastfeed her child normally. It is usually a question of will and self-confidence.