Episode 116: Benefits of breastfeeding

By Timiiye Yomi, MD. Editing and comments by Hector Arreaza, MD.

Dr. Yomi explains the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby. Three doctor listeners share their experiences with breastfeeding. 

You are listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program from Bakersfield, California, a UCLA-affiliated program sponsored by Clinica Sierra Vista, Let Us Be Your Healthcare Home. This podcast was created for educational purposes only. Visit your primary care provider for additional medical advice.

Breastfeeding is the process by which a child is fed breast milk. It is an ancient practice that dates to pre-historic times. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding as the sole source of nutrition for babies for about 6 months and can be continued for as long as both mother and baby desire it, while the World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life and up to 2 years with appropriate complementary foods.

Human milk has many advantageous anti-infective and immunologic properties, making it the ideal nutritional source to optimize the infant's well-being. Of the over 130 million babies born every year in the world, only 42% of mothers breastfeed their newborn within the first hour of life, 38% practice exclusive breastfeeding, and over 50% breastfeed for up to 2 years. In this segment, we will be talking about the many benefits of breastfeeding to both children and mothers.

Benefits to the baby: 

• Breast milk has the right amount of nutrients and fluids needed for a baby’s growth and development.
• It is easier to digest than formula, and breastfed babies have less gas, fewer feeding problems, and less constipation.
• It contains antibodies that protect infants from illnesses like otitis media, gastroenteritis, and respiratory illnesses like asthma and allergies, especially in children breastfed beyond 6 months. 
• It reduces the risk of atopic dermatitis, NEC, Celiac Disease, Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis, Late-onset sepsis in the preterm infant, and childhood leukemia.
• Reduces the risk of childhood obesity, HTN, and type 1 and 2 diabetes  
• Breastfed infants have a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
• Breastfed infants have been shown to have better cognitive development.

Benefits to the mother:

• Promotes weight loss and some degree of contraceptive for mothers
• Women who breastfeed longer have been shown to have lower rates of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, breast and ovarian cancer in premenopausal women, thyroid cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis
• Reduces the risk of post-Partum depression
• Breastfeeding triggers the release of oxytocin that promotes uterine involution and may decrease the amount of postpartum hemorrhage.

Additional benefits:

• Promotes mother-infant bonding 
• Cheap and economical for families and society
• Convenient

In summary, breastfeeding delivers a lot of health, nutritional and emotional benefits to both children and mothers. When not contraindicated, we encourage mothers to engage in this practice as it presents babies with a healthy start in life.

The benefits of breastfeeding cannot be overstated. However, we recognize that some mothers have challenges breastfeeding. For those mothers, we say you are a great mother if you take good care of your baby, even if you cannot breastfeed him/her.

Testimonials:

Breastfeeding is highly recommended by healthcare professionals, and in most cases, it is a natural and smooth process. However, it is not always free of challenges. You will listen to testimonials a