Advantages and disadvantages of breastfeeding

Advantages of breastfeeding:

•Protects against ear infections, colds, and viruses: If the child does have any of the above, the severity will most likely be lessened because of the protection from the breast milk

•Helps brain to grow and develop

•Less learning and behavior difficulties

•Less diaper rash and other skin problems

•Less colic, less crying

•Easy to digest: It is almost impossible to have a constipated breastfed baby!

•Less diarrhea

•Protects against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, leukemia, some childhood cancers, and juvenile-onset diabetes

•Benefits heart health

•Fewer trips to the doctor and hospitalizations

•Babies LOVE the taste

Disadvantages of breastfeeding:

•Nursing is definitely time-consuming: Newborn babies typically feed every 2 to 3 hours during the day and may awaken frequently at night

•If someone else wants to feed the baby with a bottle of breast milk the mother still has to pump

•Breastfeeding takes a lot of energy for your body to make milk, so the mother can often feel quite fatigued

•There can be a certain amount of anxiety and frustration while a mother is learning the process

•Sometimes mothers have physical problems like mastitis, plugged milk ducts and engorgement if the baby is not feeding frequently or properly

•Working mothers can find it challenging or may have hard time to schedule nursing’s. It is basically good to pump at work and some jobs may not allow for such breaks (they should, but some do not comply.)