The question of breastfeeding arises throughout pregnancy and even more so as you approach childbirth. It is above all a personal choice that is yours alone, but you are not alone on this path! You can discuss it with other mothers who have chosen to breastfeed or contact breastfeeding associations and specialists. In fact, nearly 70% of women breastfeed their babies at birth in France. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the recommended duration of this breastfeeding is six months. However, six months after the birth of the baby, the percentage of French women who are still breastfeeding is 19%. France is indeed one of the countries in Europe with the lowest breastfeeding rate. So why choose breastfeeding?
What is breast milk made of?
The decision to breastfeed has many benefits for your baby. Any breastfeeding, even if it does not last several months, is beneficial for your child's health because of the composition of breast milk.
This is rich in stem cells, white blood cells, antibodies, hormones but also carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and micronutrients. In addition, the composition of this breast milk changes over the days to adapt to the needs of your child. By breastfeeding your baby, you share part of your immune system with him and contribute to building his own. You nourish him while allowing him to develop in the best possible conditions!
What are the physical benefits for babies?
Breastfeeding helps your baby build his or her immune system thanks to the antibodies present in breast milk. This resistance to illness and various infections is all the stronger the longer you breastfeed your child. In addition, if your baby is sick, he or she is more likely to recover quickly from his or her illness if he or she is breastfed because your body will automatically produce the antibodies needed to fight his or her illness. Thus, your child will be ten times less likely to be hospitalized during his or her first year if he or she is breastfed than if he or she had been fed with artificial milk. In the long term, a breastfed child will be less prone to diarrhea, flu, colds, or ENT infections.
Breast milk also helps reduce the risk of allergies in babies. This is due to the properties specific to breast milk. In fact, it helps block the absorption of food antigens. According to the study Breastfeeding of allergic infants conducted in Finland in 1999, the risk for babies to suffer from allergies once they are teenagers is 54% for babies fed with artificial milk compared to only 8% for babies who were breastfed for at least 6 months.
According to a WHO study conducted in more than ten countries, breastfeeding reduces the risk of obesity in children by almost 20%. However, overweight children are more likely to develop respiratory problems and chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Breastfeeding your child helps reduce the future risks of these types of diseases.
In the case of prematurely born children, breastfeeding is all the more beneficial because it helps protect the newborn against certain diseases specific to their condition as a premature baby. Breastfeeding helps limit the risks of septicemia, lung disease or even ulcerative necrotizing enterocolitis. All three are potentially fatal. Furthermore, according to the article by Schanler RJ et al in the review Pediatrics from 2005 found that breastfed premature babies were discharged from the hospital earlier than formula-fed babies.
What are the other benefits for baby?
During the first few months of life, your baby's brain will develop very quickly: it is in full growth mode! According to a study conducted in 2013, Breastfeeding and early white matter development: A cross-sectional study , breastfed children have between 20 and 30% more white matter than children who were not breastfed. However, white matter plays the role of transmitting signals between the different parts of the human brain. Thus, breastfeeding is beneficial to the child's brain development. The composition of breast milk once again plays a key role in the proper development of the child. It is composed of fatty acids such as omega 3 and 6. These are the same fatty acids present in fish, nuts or even avocado that are recommended at any age to help our brain function!
Breastfed babies fall back to sleep faster on average than formula-fed babies because of the hormones produced during breastfeeding. For example, the oxytocin released in the baby's body while nursing, the same hormone released during childbirth in the mother, allows the baby to fall back to sleep faster and more deeply than if he had been formula-fed.
The nutritional and physical benefits are not the only advantages of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is also a special moment of sharing between mother and baby, a moment of complicity where all the senses are awakened. Skin-to-skin contact but also the exchange of glances between mother and baby are crucial for building the relationship that binds you to your child. Once again, oxytocin, also called the hormone of love and attachment, plays a key role! Your endocrine system releases it, that of your child too, which contributes to the creation of this special bond between you and your baby.