Conducted by Rachel Martin
Here are some benefits for the baby:
- Overall better health
- Long term protection against chronic conditions, such as type I diabetes, celiac disease and Crohn’s disease
- Lower SIDS risk (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Breastfeeding cuts an infant’s risk of SIDS in half
- Breastfeeding reduces a baby’s risk for some childhood cancers, such as childhood leukemia
- Some research has concluded that breastfed babies have higher IQ scores
- Breastfeeding burns extra calories so it helps the mother get back to her pre-pregnancy weight faster
- Breastfeeding also releases a hormone called oxytocin that helps the uterus to shrink back to its pre-pregnancy size and helps to stop uterine bleeding
- Breastfeeding releases a different hormone called estrogen which reduces the risk of the mother developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer
