There was World Breastfeeding Week last week and because I think that breastfeeding is very important not only for babies, but also for their mothers, I decided to write something about it. Human´s milk has many benefits for newborn babies, such as protecting them from various diseases and sicknesses. But did you know that also mothers can benefit from breastfeeding? The mothers who breastfeed their children, are less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer and they are also better prevented from heart attack. Apart from keeping people healthy, it can also help to fight obesity, reduce mother´s weight and save money, too. Here is a list of a few very interesting facts which you might not know about this liquid and breastfeeding.
1. Babies who are breast fed are less likely to suffer from various diseases, such as: leukemia, diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, eczema or Hodkin´s disease. And if a child is girl, breastfeeding helps her to reduce a possibility of being diagnosed with a breast cancer in the future.
2. Almost three-quarters of moms produce more milk with their right breast. And it has nothing to do with being right-handed or left-handed.
3. Who needs to go to gym? According to scientists, it takes 500-1000 calories a day on average to produce breast milk.
4. Babies never remove 100% of the milk their mothers have available, on average they remove just 60-70% of it.
5. Breastfeeding might boost IQ. Scientists believe that breast fed babies´s IQs may even reach 8 points higher than babies who aren't breast fed.
6. Doctors estimate that each nipple has 15-20 openings to release milk.
7. Breastfeeding can save a family really a huge amount of money which would be invested to food for baby. It is believed that breastfeeding saves a family approximately a few thousand dollars annually (compared to cost of formula). And you can even sell the milk - it is sold on the Internet for $4 per ounce.
8. Breastfed infants are at lower risk for sudden infant death syndrome.
9. You don´t have to notice it, but human milk changes during each feeding and its composition also changes throughout the day.
10. Human milk contains substances which promote sleep and calmness in the babies. Breastfeeding also calms mother and helps her bond to baby.
Resources: UNICEF, Red Cross, Health Foundations
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