What are the advantages of breast-feeding?
For both mother and baby, breast-feeding has many advantages over bottle. They can be summarised as: • Breast milk is always at the right temperature and strength • Because it needs no preparing, a baby can be fed anytime • As well as being nutritionally complete, breast-milk contains anti-bodies which pass from the mother and help protect the baby against common ailments like gastro-enteritis • Because breast-milk is produced according to a baby’s individual needs, over-feeding is unlikely • Breast-fed babies often suffer less from wind and their stools are less smelly • Breast-feeding produces hormones, such as oxytocin which helps the womb return to its normal size after the birth • Fully breast-feeding can be an adequate method of contraception for many mothers, as long as she has no periods. However it is not the most reliable method and health professionals recommend using additional forms of contraception • Breast-fed babies might be less prone to eczema and allergies, though th
