Reasons to Breastfeed

• Breastfed babies are healthier. Because formula gives no protection against illness, babies who are not breastfed are more prone to diarrhea, ear and respiratory infections, skin infection and pneumonia. Formula fed babies have more constipation, anemia and allergies, and are at greater risk for SIDS. Babies who are not breastfed also tend to get sick more often and more severely than babies who are breastfed, and they often recover more slowly.

• Breastfed babies are healthier in the long run. Formulas are simply not complete foods. They lack hundreds of enzymes, hormones, anti-infectives, and living cells that are found in breast milk. Nursing is a lifelong gift that only Mothers can give.
• Breastfeeding is less expensive than formula and the process of feeding your baby is easier since there is nothing to buy or heat.
• Breastfed babies tend to have more effective digestion than formula fed babies. This is usually noticeable in their diapers as breastfed babies tend to have little or no smell to their stool.
• Breastfeeding mothers are healthier. Without nursing hormones, a mother who bottle feeds her child recovers from the birth process more slowly, and her risk for certain breast and ovarian cancers increases.
• Breastfed babies tend to have a healthier start due to the fact that mother's milk is the perfect food, and the cuddling required to effectively nurse a baby helps mother to bond with their child. Even a mother who breastfeeds her child for a short period of time provides her child with a healthy start on life.