Health benefits for baby

Breastmilk is always best

There's now a large amount of research that shows beyond doubt that breastfeeding benefits your baby and the benefits last into childhood and beyond. The greatest benefits are to be gained by feeding your baby breastmilk and nothing else for the first six months of life, but any period of breastfeeding at all, however short, will benefit you and your baby.

The quality of your breastmilk always remains high, even if you are unwell, you smoke or your own diet is not ideal (though of course there are benefits to you if you eat well and don’t smoke) and supplies everything your baby needs for food and drink for around six months. Your baby can be fed breastmilk for as long as you like after this, alongside whatever else he may eat and drink. The World Health Organisation says there are benefits in continuing to breastfeed your baby well after the end of the first year.

Skin-to-skin contact after your baby is born is very important and breastfeeding provides the perfect opportunity plus it’s a lovely way for you to get to know your baby. Breastfeeding keeps your baby calm, warm and comforted, steadies your baby's heartbeat and breathing and helps get feeding underway. It will also help both of you bond emotionally.

Isn’t formula milk just as good?

There are many differences between breast and formula milk:

Breastmilk is a living fluid providing perfect nutrition, made up of living cells, changing according to the baby’s needs and stimulating his system. Breast milk really is the perfect food for your baby.

Antibodies in breastmilk help babies to fight common infections, allergies and diabetes. Formula milk has none of these qualities. Babies who are breastfed are less likely to have many illnesses including:

• Gastro-intestinal infections (vomiting and diarrhoea)
• Chest infections
• Urine infections
• Ear infections
• Wheeze when breathing/asthma
• Eczema, where this runs in the family
• Diabetes in childhood
• Obesity

Pre-term babies

Breastmilk is even more important to the health of a sick, small or pre-term baby. Babies born early are vulnerable to some potentially dangerous problems and breastmilk protects them. Breastmilk also ensures better eyesight and brain development in pre-term babies. You may be encouraged to give your baby expressed breastmilk while he is vulnerable, but this does not mean that you have to breastfeed later if you do not want to.