Babies who breastfeed are at a lower risk of....
The evidence is well-established, for both the benefits to mother and baby of breastfeeding, and the significant risks of not breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has some of the most wide-reaching and long lasting effects on your baby's health and development, more than anything else you can do for her.
Click here to see an overview of the evidence, including links to the most significant studies.
Emerging evidence suggests that breastfeeding has a positive impact on mother-baby relationships: breastfeeding releases certain hormones which promote maternal feelings and behaviour. Strong early relationships and a stable and loving environment are all conducive to babies’ healthy emotional, social and Physical Development, through production of the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin acts like a fertiliser for the brain, promoting the growth of neurons (brain cells) and the connections between them, enabling babies to grow into secure, happy children.
For more information you can look at the UNICEF leaflet, Building a Happy Baby in the downloads section.
**The information on this page has been taken from the UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) Baby Friendly Initiative web pages, to visit their website click on the UNICEF Baby Friendly Logo.
- Gastroenteritis
- Respiratory infections
- SIDS (Sudden infant death syndrome)
- Obesity
- Type 1 & 2 diabetes
- Allergies (e.g. asthma, lactose intolerance)
;Benefits to mothers.....
- The longer mothers breastfeed, the greater their protection against breast and ovarian cancer, and hip fractures in later life.
- Recent evidence has demonstrated an association between prolonged breastfeeding and postmenopausal risk factors for cardiovascular (CV) disease.
- The World Cancer Research Fund includes breastfeeding as one of 10 recommendations to reduce the risk.
- These illnesses all represent the greatest threats to women’s health across all ages.
;Breastfed babies may have better.....
- Neurological development
- Cholesterol levels
- Blood pressure