7 Super Neat Facts about Breastfeeding You Probably Didn't Know ...

Facts about breastfeeding can sometimes get overlooked in the frenzy of decision making that new parents often face. Between the info overload on the types of formula and bottles, to how long to wait before giving your baby solids, its no wonder that breastfeeding is considered outdated! However, breastfeeding is the best thing you can do for your baby. Here are some super neat facts about breastfeeding you probably didn’t know!

1 Breast Milk Provides All Your Baby’s Nutrition

One of the neat facts about breastfeeding is that breast milk provides all your baby’s nutrition without supplements. According to the World Health Organization online, less than 40% of babies under 6 months old are exclusively breastfed around the world. Your baby will not need supplements until close to a year if you exclusively breastfeed. It’s a rare instance that babies aren’t getting what they need from mother’s milk before they turn one.

2 Your Baby’s Saliva Communicates with Your Body

While you are breastfeeding, your baby’s saliva is hard at work making sure your body knows what your baby is lacking! Your milk is full of minerals and vitamins, and your body knows when your baby is lacking in a necessary mineral. Breast milk is ever changing to meet baby’s needs and that is something that formula can never duplicate!

3 Breastfeeding Burns Calories

It’s estimated that breastfeeding can burn up to 500 calories a day! Perhaps even more depending on how often your baby eats or how many babies you are feeding in the case of multiples. Now I don’t know about you, but burning calories while sitting on my couch watching TV sounds like a pretty good trade to me!

4 Higher Immunities for Mom and Baby Both

Breast milk is loaded with antibodies that help boost your baby's immune system and lower risks of catching many sicknesses and diseases later in life. That tidbit is pretty common knowledge throughout the breastfeeding world. But did you know that if your baby is exposed to a germ that you have never been in contact with, through breastfeeding you can build immunity to that germ? What a beneficial relationship!

5 Better Jaw Development for Baby

Breastfeeding is hard work for your little baby. Bottles have larger holes in the nipples so that the milk flows out faster than your breast, making breastfeeding more work for your little one. This is good because it encourages strong jaw development and excellent muscle growth in the mouth and neck. Breastfed babies are less likely to need as much dental work down the road!

6 Breastfeeding Lowers Baby’s Risk of SIDS

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is a very real and very scary thing. Many of us probably know someone who has dealt with SIDS. While breastfeeding will not entirely eliminate your baby’s risk of SIDS, it will reduce it considerably. According to askdrsears.com, babies between 2 and 6 months of age are more likely to pass away from SIDS then any other age.

7 Breastfeeding Requires Dedication

Now with all these wonderful facts on breastfeeding, I could hardly let you go on thinking that breastfeeding is a walk in the park. It does require dedication, and hard work. However, it DOES get better. And it’s definitely easier than fixing bottles and warming formula up! Breastfeeding is a wonderful gift that only you can give your baby.

Being a new, breastfeeding mom myself, these facts were pleasantly surprising to learn! If you are debating between the bottle and the breast, I would highly encourage you to research your options. Make an informed decision! Formula is a gift for those mothers that cannot breastfeed, but breast milk is loaded with benefits that formula can never duplicate. Are you considering breastfeeding?

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Comments

OneAndOnly im 28 weeks pregnant and when does milk start to come out of the breast im a first time mom
Jojo Ur v welcome @ ya tan xxx
Ya Thank you for the upliftment @jojo xx
Jojo @ya tan ... Youre young and should b enjoying life a little first...go have some fun and stop worrying!! Life's for living, so go live it!! x
Jojo @ya tan Sweetie...don't worry about it...no doubt ull b blessed when the times right and everything will fall into place!
Ya But will I be able to even get pregnant ? With my proportions ^ @pao
- Denise @Ya Tan If you and your partner have healthy reproductive systems, then you will be able to conceive and become pregnant. Science can also help you if you ever have trouble getting pregnant. :)
pao @ya tan yes you can always breastfeed no matter the size. You are going to be fine!
Ya Also my waist is 24, hips are 35, chest is 32
Ya Wow really? That gives me hope, but I'm also very thin, my weight is 45 kg and I'm 5feet 4inches, sometimes I worry because I look so young, will I be able to have children ? Scares me @jojo
Jojo Don't b sad @ya tan...I had A/B cup breasts and once breast feeding commenced I reached DD!! Then kept a modest C cup once I'd finished feeding! It's all gold 👍
Ya What if you're an A cup, can you still breast feed ?
- saritaenv @Ya Tan yup! Watch those puppies grow!
Parker Nobody is telling anyone they should or should not breast feed in this article. It was simply stating the benefits. Calm down people.... 😒
Elysium This article was written to create some sort of drama. It's a personal choice wether you choose to feed your baby breast or bottle. Both are sufficient and both have its own benefits. I've seen first hand in my family women that breast fed their kids and those kids are not exempt from getting sick or having bad teeth. It's really silly to say if you breast feed your child is less likely to get sick. No arguing that formula doesn't replicate the same antibodies as breast milk. But as for the rest of the claims I don't believe it. A bottle feeding mother won't have a less if a bonding exp with her child either. Besides, in the long run when the kids grow up and become adults do you really think they will care wether they were breast or bottle fed?! Lol um no. Stop trying to incite arguments of this nature and let women come together and support each other. Don't knock someone else's parenting style. You never know the reasons for their choices and quite frankly it ain't none of no ones biz.
Gigi Breastfeeding my daughter was the best desition i have ever done, and for some people it help financially as in my case.
Jojo I ❤️ breastfeeding...soooo much easier than bottle feeding, bonding experience for me n my kids, no steriliser or bottles everywhere n I have a free hand to type this! Result!!
Kelly The mother can end up with severe back problems if she is larger breasted before being pregnant because boobs full of milk are heavy! If the mother doesn't eat properly the baby won't get all the proper nutrients (one benefit of formula!) and not to mention many women just can't breast feed for various reasons. Breast feeding vs. formula is a personal and/or medical choice and women shouldn't be criticized for either choice.
- Kelly @Kelly why are you using my profile!! Make your own!