Breast milk provides the ideal nutrition for babies and infants. It has a nearly perfect mix of vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins, sugars, and fat – everything our growing baby needs – and is easy for small stomachs to digest. Research suggests that breastfed babies have a lower risk of;

• Asthma
• Childhood leukemia (cancer)
• Childhood obesity
• Ear infections
• Eczema ( a skin rash)
• Diarrhea and vomiting
• Lower respiratory infections
• Necrotizing entercolitis, a disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract (esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines)
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
• Type 2 diabetes

Babies are not the only ones that can benefit from breastfeeding. Mom’s who breastfeed have a lower risk of;

• Type 2 diabetes
• Certain types of breast cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Postpartum blood loss
• Postpartum depression

There is some evidence that breastfeeding may help you lose weight. Women who breastfeed do burn between 300 – 500 extra calories a day and doctors do recommend eating a few extra hundred calories a day to make up for the loss. However, it those calories are coming from processed, high fat, high sugar foods, you will probably not get to your pre-pregnancy weight just by breastfeeding alone. All breastfeeding moms need to eat a healthy diet to make sure they are getting the proper nutrition for themselves.