Breastfeeding is the feeding of the infant or youthful child with breast milk from female human breasts (i.e., via lactation) instead of from the baby bottle or any other container.

Babies possess a drawing reflex that allows these phones suck and swallow milk. It's suggested that moms breastfeed for six several weeks or even more, without adding infant formula or solid food. After adding solid food, moms are encouraged to continue breastfeeding not less than annually, and may go on for 2 yrs or even more.

Human breast milk may be the best type of milk for babies. You will find couple of exceptions, for example once the mother takes certain drugs or perhaps has contracted human T-lymphotropic virus or Aids.

Breastfeeding promotes health and helps to prevent disease. Artificial feeding is associated with more deaths from diarrhea in infants in both developing and developed countries.  Experts agree that breastfeeding is beneficial, and have concerns about artificial formulas but there are conflicting views about how long exclusive breastfeeding remains beneficial.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) emphasize the value of breastfeeding for mothers as well as children. Both recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and then supplemented breastfeeding for at least one year and up to two years or more. While recognizing the superiority of breastfeeding, regulating authorities also work to minimize the risks of artificial feeding.

Breast milk

Not every qualities of breast milk are understood, nevertheless its nutrient submissions are relatively stable. Breast milk is made of nutrition within the mother's blood stream and bodily stores.

Breast milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein that is needed for a baby's growth and development. Because breastfeeding uses an average of 500 calories a day it helps the mother lose weight after giving birth.

The composition of breast milk changes depending on how long the baby nurses at each session, as well as on the age of the child. The quality of a mother's breast milk may be compromised by smoking, alcoholic beverages, caffeinated drinks, marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, and methadone.

Benefits for the infant

Scientific research, such as the studies summarized in a 2007 review for the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and a 2007 review for the WHO, has found many benefits to breastfeeding for the infant. These include:

• Greater immune health
• Fewer infections
• Protection from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
• Higher intelligence
• Less diabetes
• Less childhood obesity
• Less tendency to develop allergic diseases (atopy)
• Less necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants
• Other long term health effects
• Less overweight

Benefits for mothers

Breastfeeding is a cost effective way of feeding an infant, providing nourishment for a child at a small cost to the mother. Frequent and exclusive breastfeeding can delay the return of fertility through lactational amenorrhea, though breastfeeding is an imperfect means of birth control.

During breastfeeding beneficial hormones are released into the mother's body and the maternal bond can be strengthened. Breastfeeding is possible throughout pregnancy, but generally milk production will be reduced at some point.

Some benefits for mothers includes:

• Bonding
• Hormone release
• Weight loss
• Natural postpartum infertility
• Long-term health effects (eg. less risk of breast cancer)