Benefits of Breast Feeding

Whether you are an expecting parent or just curious about nursing, it's interesting to know just how beneficial it is to both baby and mom.

Baby:

• Provides nutritionally balanced meals designed for baby
• Contains no added sugars compared to formulas
• Lowers risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)
• Protects against common childhood infections
• Increases resilience to allergies
• Decreases chance of developing type 1 diabetes
• May protect against future excess weight gain
• Bonding experience with mom

Mom:

• Improves post-delivery healing
• Accelerates pregnancy weight loss
• Decreases risk for postpartum depression
• Eliminates costs associated with formula
• Medical savings on infant medical visits 
• Decreases future risk for heart disease, arthritis, and cancer
• Bonding experience with baby

It's amazing to learn about all of the benefits of breast feeding. Breast feeding has even been referred to as a woman's method recovering from the physical stresses of pregnancy.

Of course, breast feeding is a very personal decision and may not be possible in all cases. Choose the infant feeing method that works best for you and your family.

http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/breastfeeding/conditioninfo/Pages/benefits.aspx

EMI Health is a nonprofit organization that has been providing health benefits in the Intermountain West for 80 years. We currently provide medical, dental, and vision coverage to more than 150,000 members in Utah and Arizona. For more information, visit EMIHealth.com.