August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month

August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month

In honor of Breastfeeding Awareness Month, we’d like to pass along some benefits of breastfeeding that we found on www.womenshealth.gov and in the pages of Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine’s August issue:

 

• Breast milk is the most complete form of nutrition for infants.  A mother’s milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein that is needed for a baby’s growth and development.  Most babies find it easier to digest breast milk than they do formula.
• Studies have shown that women who breastfeed their children are 50 percent less likely to develop breast cancer.  It also lowers the risk of ovarian cancer and possibly the risk of hip fractures and osteoporosis after menopause.
• Worldwide, the average age that babies stop breastfeeding is 3 to 4 years.
• The average cost of breastfeeding per year is approximately $300.
• The average cost of formula feeding per year is between $1000 and $2000.
• Nursing uses up extra calories, making it easier to lose the pounds of pregnancy.  It also helps the uterus to get back to its original size and lessens any bleeding womany may have after giving birth.
• Research has shown that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of SIDS as well as your child’s likelihood to develop allergies, ear infections and asthma.

See what’s in store for you at www.ninematernity.com