HFD Team The breastfeeding woman looks to the future. Natural breastfeeding is the ideal diet for the newborn, but it is a huge source of benefits for the mother too. Let’s see why it’s good for both of us.
According to the guidelines of the Italian Society of Neonatology, breast milk is the ideal food in the first 6 months of life and can be offered to the child even after the introduction of solid foods, up to two years of age, or even beyond. If the mother and the baby so wish.
Natural breastfeeding is good for the baby
Babies fed by natural breastfeeding do not need anything else, not even water or herbal teas. In fact, breast milk offers everything they need and adapts to different nutritional needs both during the day and in the months; its formulation is, in fact, always different because it follows the needs of the child.
The benefits are many, especially in cases where natural breastfeeding is prolonged:
- Breast milk is easily digested ;
- Protects against infections: infants fed at the breast are, in fact, less exposed to the risk of developing respiratory, urinary, or gastrointestinal infections;
- It is associated with a lower risk of morbidity due to obesity ;
- strengthens the immune system ;
- Thanks to the physical and emotional relationship it entails, it strengthens the emotional bond between mother and child.
Natural breastfeeding is good for moms.
Natural breastfeeding also has numerous benefits for women’s health :
- It is a protective factor against breast and ovarian cancer; the longer breastfeeding lasts, the lower the risk of developing these diseases. The benefit accumulates in the various maternity wards.
- Help mom gets back in shape faster. With natural breastfeeding and a balanced diet, women return to their ideal weight more easily after pregnancy. Breastfeeding requires, in fact, an additional energy expenditure of between 350 and 500 calories per day.
- Reduces cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women. In a study published in May 2009 in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, the results of research conducted at the University of Pittsburgh, by the team of Doctor Schwarz, on a sample of about 140,000 postmenopausal women of average age were reported aged 63, who had given birth to at least one child. In mothers who have been breastfeeding for over a year, the risk of developing cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes, cholesterol, and hypertension was reduced by 10-15% and women who had breastfed for 7 to 12 months also had a reduced risk, albeit to a lesser extent, than those who had not breastfed or had breastfed for less than six months. As Dr. Schwarz pointed out in an interview published on theheart.org, the comparison, in this case, is not between women who have breastfed and women who have not had a pregnancy but between those who, despite having had one, have given up breastfeeding.
Also Read : Noise Pollution: What Risks Are There
