Breastfeeding

According to new guidelines1 released by the American Academy of Pediatrics, breast milk is the preferred choice for baby, mother and society in general. The guidelines cite "(e)xtensive research, especially in recent years, documents diverse and compelling advantages to infants, mothers, families, and society from breastfeeding and the use of human milk for infant feeding. These include health, nutritional, immunologic, developmental, psychological, social, economic, and environmental benefits."

The paper goes on to state:

"Human milk is uniquely superior for infant feeding and is species-specific; all substitute feeding options differ markedly from it."

According to numerous studies from "developed countries," the benefits of breastfeeding to the baby includes decreased risk for "a large number of acute and chronic diseases." This includes decreases in the incidence and/or severity of:

• diarrhea2-6
• lower respiratory infection6-10
• otitis media4,11-15
• bacteremia16,17
• bacterial meningitis16,18
• botulism19
• urinary tract infection20
• necrotizing enterocolitis21,22

And a "possible protective effect" against:

• sudden infant death syndrome23-25
• insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus26-28
• Crohn's disease29,30
• ulcerative colitis30
• lymphoma31,32
• allergic diseases33-35
• other chronic digestive diseases36-38
  

Additional studies relate breastfeeding to "possible enhancement of cognitive development."39,40

There appear to be almost as many benefits to the mother who breastfeeds:

• less postpartum bleeding and more rapid uterine involution41 * less menstrual blood loss over the months after delivery * earlier return to pre-pregnant weight42 * delayed resumption of ovulation with increased child spacing43-45 * improved bone reminera