15 Amazing Breastfeeding Benefits for Baby and Mum

There are so many amazing benefits of breastfeeding, it is liquid gold for both baby and mum. I'm going to put it out there and say that society should be paying us for breastfeeding!! After all, the amount of energy and time required to produce human breast milk is tremendous, but the benefits to society are huge, from keeping breastfed babies nourished to reducing the burden on the health care system.

If you are looking for a little extra motivation to keep going with breastfeeding, or to help other people in your life to understand how amazing breastfeeding is (and why it is worthwhile to persist as much as possible), this is a great list to print out and put on your fridge.

What are these amazing Benefits of Breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding Reduces the Burden on our Health Care System

1. Breast milk supports and boosts a breastfed baby's immune system. The antibodies in breast milk help babies fight viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections, including:

• Respiratory tract infections
• Middle ear infections
• Bacterial meningitis
• Pneumonia
• Urinary tract infections
• Infant diarrhea
• Common colds and flu

2. Even better, the benefits of breastfeeding continue for life, with your child having reduced risk of disease later in life, including:

• Type I and II diabetes
• Hodgkin’s disease
• Leukemia
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol levels
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Asthma
• Eczema

3. Breastfed babies are at lower risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

4. Breastfeeding reduces baby’s risk of dental cavities, possibly because antibodies in breastmilk may help to reduce the growth of bacteria. Breastfeeding also helps develop greater orofacial muscle activity (jaw muscle development) which reduces the chance they will need braces and helps with speech development.

5. Breastfeeding is beneficial for Mum. The longer Mum breastfeeds, the higher the benefits. Breastfeeding reduces Mum's risk of

• Ovarian Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Heart Disease
• Osteoporosis
• Type 2 Diabetes

The estimated economic value of Breast Milk to Society is HUGE

6. Compared to formula, breastfeeding can save your family approximately $1,500 to $2,000 per year (just in formula costs).

7. Estimates of the value of breast milk in Australia are approximately $3 billion. Yes, BILLION! This is based simply on the amount of milk produced for babies, valued at an estimated value of human milk. This doesn't include the value of preventing disease and reduction in health care costs.

5 Advantages of Breastfeeding for Mum

8. Breastfeeding mums heal faster postpartum. The oxytocin helps to shrink the uterus faster and reduces overall postpartum blood loss.

9. Breastfeeding burns calories! When you are breastfeeding it takes approximately 1000 calories a day to produce breast milk and you tend to burn through any reserves that were built up during pregnancy. Producing breast milk also consumes 25% of the body's energy (your brain only uses 20%).

10. On average, babies remove 67% of the milk mama has available—they eat until fullness, not until the breast is emptied. Breasts are more like a tap than a container of milk. It just keeps on producing and flowing and is never really 'empty' (even though it might feel like it after cluster feeding).

11. Breastfeeding produces the naturally soothing hormones oxytocin and prolactin in Mum. These hormones promote stress reduction and positive feelings in the nursing mother. The prolactin is also biologically designed to help you feel sleepy after breastfeeding at night. This helps you to fall back to sleep faster (this is also why you should avoid breastfeeding on the couch at night when feeling tired). This might be why breastfeeding mamas sleep on average 45 minutes more a night, compared to those who formula feed.

Interesting fact: Almost 75% of all mums produce more milk in their right breast, whether they are right- or left- handed.

Human Breast Milk is custom made for Breastfed Babies

12. Mama’s body is constantly making the perfect milk for baby. Breast Milk changes its nutritional profile as a baby grows (milk made for a 3-month-old is different than for a 9-month-old), and is likely to help toddlers' immunes system cope with all those things they put in their mouths. Milk can even change day-to-day. For example, water content may increase during times of hot weather or even if your breastfed baby is sick, to provide extra hydration

13. Human milk contains substances that promote sleep and calmness in babies (who doesn’t love that?) Breastfeeding also calms mama and helps her bond to her baby.

14. Mama’s breasts can detect even a one-degree fluctuation in baby’s body temperature and adjust accordingly to heat up or cool down baby as needed. This is one reason skin-to-skin contact in the early days is so crucial.

15. Numerous studies report that breastfeeding may help with baby brain development. Mothers breastfeeding is associated with higher scores on tests of neurodevelopment and cognition in later life

Whew! That is a LOT of benefits. In the end, every drop of breast milk you can provide for your baby is beneficial. Are there other benefits you know of? Let us know in the comments below.

About the Author

Corryn is a lover of coffee, hugs and sunshine. Mum of 3 and founder of Milk and Love, Corryn loves chatting to new mums and pregnant mums. She has extensive breastfeeding experience, and is an advocate for gentle parenting, cosleeping and looking after Mum's mental health...  read more about Corryn here