Many mothers often are troubled on whether to feed their new baby breast milk or baby formula. There are advantages of both feeding methods, but breastfeeding has some that baby formula cannot match up to. As a mother, the method you choose shouldn’t make you feel guilty if you don’t do it as other mothers are. Ultimately, the mother knows what’s best for her baby. Meet the baby’s doctor before giving birth to know which feeding method you should use when it comes to your baby.
You can ask all the questions that you have about what you should do when it comes to feeding your baby. Breastfeeding after birth can be difficult if you decide to start on formula then switch to breast milk later on. Breast milk production diminishes once you give birth and when you choose not to stimulate it, getting your breasts to produce milk will be difficult. In this article, we are going to review the benefits that breast milk has over formula. This article intends to help new mothers to understand what breast milk does to their new baby that formula cannot achieve.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the mother’s milk when it comes to feeding infants. Premature and sick newborns are also included in this. Breast milk is mostly ideal for your newborn as it is less likely to cause allergies, it is inexpensive, and your baby will accept the taste readily.
1. Lower Risk of Allergies
Breast milk may protect your baby against allergies and asthma that they might develop in the future. As for formulas, your baby might develop an allergy to a particular formula and which is not the case with breastfed babies. The immunoglobulins found in breast milk make the baby’s immune system to differentiate between a harmless protein and a pathogen. Therefore, the infant has a lower risk of allergies and developing allergy-related conditions like asthma. Your baby is protected from developing autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s disease.
Fats and sugars in breast milk also help the baby’s intestinal tract to multiply good bacteria to protect the intestine from invasive bacteria like E. coli. Also, breast milk prevents your baby from being allergic to food by providing a protective layer to the intestinal tract. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and varicella-zoster that causes shingles and chickenpox are reduced when your baby consumes breast milk. It also reduces the risk of them developing lymphoma, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, leukemia and asthma.
2. Reduced Ear Infections
Natural or infection-fighting antibodies provided by breast milk will help your baby resist illnesses such as ear infections (otitis media). Babies that are breastfed for six months without introducing formulas are likely to have fewer ear infections, bouts of diarrhea and respiratory illnesses. Breastfeeding also makes the visits to the doctor few. According to pediatricians, the more you breastfeed, the lower the risk of ear infections. Stronger protection is created that will prevent your baby from having an ear infection. Vaccinations alongside breastfeeding will help your baby to have the risk of developing ear infections. A study done shows that breastfeeding reduces ear infection risk in babies up to 12 months.
3. Brain Development
Cholesterol levels are high in breast milk than formulas. The cholesterol helps in brain growth as well as it provides the building blocks such as vitamin D, intestinal bile, and hormones. Some fatty acids contained in breast milk promote brain development. The brain of your baby grows at the right pace and proportion with age. In preterm babies, breast milk speeds up brain development to ensure they don’t have cognitive milestone delays later on in life. Babies that drink breast milk have a higher IQ, and as they transition to school, they score better on IQ tests. Babies who are breastfed well into toddler-hood are known to have higher IQ scores.
4. Lower Risk of SIDS
SIDS means Sudden Infant Death Syndrome that can occur during the first year of your new baby’s life. It happens when the baby is asleep, you might know it as crib death. It is unpredictable and can occur without your knowledge. There are a few ways to prevent crib death. Such as putting your baby to sleep on her back, breastfeeding your baby, keeping your baby cool when they sleep, select a firm flatbed, do not use drugs or alcohol and stay healthy during your pregnancy by visiting your doctor, eating healthy and avoid risky behaviors. All these are to lower risk of SIDS.
5. Key Antibodies
Everything that your baby needs to grow is found in breast milk. Vitamins, fat, carbohydrates, calcium and proteins are nearly perfect and the ideal nutrition for infants. The antibodies as well help your baby become resistant to illnesses. The nutrients also help your baby develop their immature immune system that cannot be obtained other substances. Key antibodies found in breast milk is believed to reduce the risk of many chronic and acute infections later on in their life. Also, the key antibodies found in breast milk protect the newborn from infection as the antibody-producing cells are transferred to the baby from the mother. They go to the infant’s intestine and help the baby build up their immune system.
6. Healthy Weight
Later on, in your child’s years, the risk of being overweight is significantly reduced. The right amount of weight is gained with babies that breastfeed as they grow and rarely become overweight. Your child is likely to maintain a healthy weight when they are toddlers as well as in the future. When breastfed, babies attain particular development milestones making them achieve the milestones on time. Breastfeeding allows your baby to eat until full and immediately stops. This leads to healthy eating patterns as they get older. Insulin contained in breast milk is lower than in formula. For those who don’t know insulin stimulates fat creation. Leptin is in breastfed baby’s system. According to researchers, it helps in regulating fat and appetites in babies.
