Benefits of breastfeeding for babies Benefits of breastfeeding for mothers

We all know that breastfeeding has many benefits for both babies and mothers. In daily life, we often see many mothers breastfeeding their children. Breastfeeding has many benefits and can make babies grow healthier.

1. Breast milk is the best food for babies

It is often said that gold, mercury and water are not as good as mother's milk. Indeed, the value of breast milk to babies cannot be replaced by any other food. Breast milk is rich in nutrients and is the most ideal natural physiological food for babies. Breast milk contains more fatty acids and lactose, and the calcium-phosphorus ratio is appropriate, which is suitable for the baby's digestion and needs, and is not easy to cause allergic reactions. Babies who eat breast milk rarely suffer from diarrhea and constipation, and the incidence of diseases caused by allergies such as wet therapy and asthma is much lower than that of babies who are not breastfed.

Breast milk contains a variety of substances that increase the baby's immune resistance, which can reduce the baby's illness and prevent various infections in the first year. Colostrum, in particular, contains a variety of antibodies and immune cells that prevent and fight disease, which are not found in any milk substitutes. In addition, breast milk can adjust the calorie content as the baby grows and develops, and also adjust the fat and water content as the climate changes.

Breast milk is almost sterile, and direct feeding is not easy to be contaminated. It has a suitable temperature, and the sucking speed and amount of food can be increased or decreased according to the baby's needs. It can be fed at any time, which is convenient and hygienic. In addition, breast milk is good for the development of the baby's taste, and the baby will be less picky when he grows up.

Although cow's milk contains more protein than breast milk, this protein is only good for calves and is difficult for babies to digest. Babies fed with cow's milk look fatter than those fed with breast milk, but they are not as healthy.

2. Breast milk can make babies healthier

Breast milk contains antibodies produced by the mother's body. After entering the baby's body through breast milk, it helps to improve immunity and reduce the chance of illness. About 80% of the cells in breast milk come from the mother's body are macrophages, which can kill bacteria, fungi and viruses. Babies who are breastfed can be protected by these cells and naturally rarely get sick. Moreover, the antibodies in the mother's body are just targeted at the pathogens in the living environment. Breast milk with these antibodies is like a custom-made product for babies to resist the invasion of pathogens in the environment.

There are a lot of beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacillus in the digestive tract of breastfed babies, which can prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. Breast milk directly from the breast is almost sterile, and it is not as easy to be contaminated by bacteria as in the bottle, which can make the baby sick. Breast milk also contains at least 100 ingredients that cannot be prepared by any formula.

Babies need to put more effort into sucking the nipple than the bottle, which helps the development of the lower jaw, exercises the strength of the lower jaw, and makes the gums develop better, laying a good foundation for the health of teeth in the future. Babies can control the flow of milk well by sucking the nipple, while babies who suck the bottle will be disturbed by the milk pressure in the nipple.

British scientists have found that breastfed babies have a stronger ability to resist stroke and heart disease when they grow up. This discovery once again proves that the diet structure of babies after birth will affect their health in adulthood.

3. Breast milk is beneficial to the baby’s physical and mental development

Breastfeeding can promote the establishment and development of the relationship between the baby and the mother. The mother's care, touch, hug, eye contact, teasing, and physical contact with the baby, such as the chest, breasts, and arms, are all good stimulation for the baby, promoting the deepening of the mother-child relationship, making the baby feel satisfied and safe, and making the baby feel comfortable. It is also an important factor in the normal psychological development of the baby, and can better promote the development of the baby's brain and intelligence.

Newborn babies can only see objects within 30-40cm, which is exactly the distance from the mother's face to the baby's eyes during breastfeeding. Studies have found that babies as young as one week old have a preference for the smell of their mother's milk.

Many psychologists believe that babies who are breastfed in their mother's arms, especially with skin contact, can feel the warmth and presence of their mothers, and thus enjoy the sense of security that comes with it. Many parents who feed their babies with bottles often simply put the nipple in the baby's mouth and ignore interpersonal communication with the baby. Now, breastfeeding is no longer just a way to feed babies, but more importantly, it is an important way to make babies feel warm, safe and comfortable.

4. Breast milk can make your baby smarter

According to the latest research, breast milk can even improve the baby's IQ. The research found that breast milk contains taurine, an essential amino acid for babies, which has a special effect on brain development. Its content is 10-30 times that of milk. Therefore, there is no better natural intelligence food than breast milk.

At the same time, the breastfeeding process itself is also a benign stimulation to the baby's brain. The various exchanges between mother and child are incomparable to artificial feeding with a bottle. In fact, breastfeeding is a comprehensive activity that develops the baby's perception, stimulates its unique human emotions and higher nerve centers, and plays an irreplaceable role in promoting the baby's intellectual development.

Studies have shown that breastfeeding can increase a child's IQ by 8 points. For example, the Tann Nutrition Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted a prospective test on premature infants in 1992 and found that the IQ scores of children fed with breast milk from bottles were higher than those of children fed with formula.

1. Breastfeeding can fight breast cancer

Regarding the causes of breast cancer, experts pointed out that the causes are now relatively clear, namely mental stress and hormones. Chen Xiaoxu has no history of breastfeeding because she has no children. In fact, women should support and insist on breastfeeding, because the length of time of breastfeeding is an important factor affecting women's risk of breast cancer, even more than genetic factors.

A study found that women who breastfeed their children for more than six months can reduce their risk of breast cancer by 5%, even if they have a family history of breast cancer. Experts say the findings help explain the sharp increase in breast cancer rates in developed countries over the past century. "In developed countries, breastfeeding practices have changed dramatically over the past 100 years, and breast cancer rates have also increased dramatically."

2. Breastfeeding helps restore your body shape

Breastfeeding will not affect the mother's body shape. Experts say that postpartum recovery is more complicated in terms of weight, water, electrolytes and metabolism related to the mother's body shape. Due to changes in the mother's endocrine system, more bed rest and less activity after childbirth, and more high-protein, high-fat food intake, these are the main causes of postpartum obesity. Breastfeeding requires mothers to secrete milk and feed their babies, which increases the amount of heat energy and various nutrients consumed. According to authoritative data, the calories consumed by breastfeeding in one day are 500 more than those consumed by non-breastfeeding. 500 calories is equivalent to three or four hours of exercise. Therefore, when mothers are breastfeeding, they consume more calories, so of course they will not be very obese.

Therefore, the most effective way to restore the body shape after childbirth is to strengthen postpartum exercise and insist on breastfeeding. For example, insisting on doing specially designed abdominal exercises and anal lifting exercises can not only help the body recover after childbirth, but also is an effective way to restore the body shape.

Dr. William Goldengo of Weiss International Nutrition Organization said: "Breast milk gives you some good things that we don't even know what they are yet." The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that it is best to breastfeed for 6-12 months, and that complementary foods can only be added after 4-6 months. In an interview with reporters, Professor Gu Guixiong also repeatedly emphasized that exclusive breastfeeding should be achieved as much as possible during the first 4 months, which is the most critical period for infant development, and dairy products should not be used to replace breast milk easily.

If new mothers encounter the problem of insufficient milk, they will be very troubled. Of course, they will try every means to make their milk more. At this time, we can eat some food to promote the amount of milk secretion. Next, the editor will share with you what food can change the problem of insufficient milk.

First, papaya and peanuts. Because papaya is rich in vitamin C, if you eat it all year round, your skin will become very smooth and it also has the effect of nourishing the skin. Peanuts can promote blood circulation and lactation, and are also very effective in strengthening the spleen and appetite. If some mothers have problems with low milk, they can eat papaya and peanuts to improve this problem. If you want to increase milk, you can use papaya, peanuts and dates to make soup, which is very effective in increasing milk.

Second, stewed black-bone chicken soup. This is a very nutritious soup. Its main function is to treat postpartum weakness and low milk supply in pregnant women. So if a new mother has low milk supply, you can choose black-bone chicken, wash it, mix it with onion, ginger, salt, wine, etc., add codonopsis, astragalus, wolfberry, and boil it into soup. It has a good effect on treating low milk supply.