Infant feeding
Breastfeeding benefits everyone!
Breastmilk is tailor made for your baby. It helps your baby fight illnesses and infections. Babies who do not receive any breastmilk are more likely to get illnesses, such as -
- diarrhoea
- bronchiolitis
and are at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
Longer term, babies who breastfeed are at a reduced risk of -
- childhood cancers
- diabetes
- asthma
- allergies
- eczema
Breastfeeding also has many benefits to the mother, including lowering the risk of -
- breast cancer
- osteoporosis
- postnatal bleeding
and of course, it is free!
Breastfeeding is natural and kinder to the planet without unnecessary transportation and pollution, it also saves the NHS a lot of money.
It is recommended to exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months, followed by continued breastfeeding with solid food for as long as possible, but every feed matters. So, whether you are thinking of one feed or more, every drop is so important!
For more information, please see this page from UNICEF.