Benefits of breastfeeding:

Bonding between mum and bub

Each time you breastfeed, your body releases the hormone of love ‘oxytocin’. Its the same hormone that’s released when you fall in love, go into labour and orgasm! Handy hormone. Have your baby so close to you, creates a bonding environment for you and your baby.

Lowers risk of SIDS

There is much research to say that babies who are breastfed, or fed breast milk in a bottle have lower rates of SIDS then formula fed babies. Here is some further reading if you are interested.

Perfectly curated for your babies needs (breastmilk changes when your baby is sick!)

How insane is this! Breastmilk literally changes and adapts to suit your babies needs perfectly! Pretty wild!

Accessible anytime at the perfect temperature

No need to take bottles, sterilisers, formula, teats, sterilised water and bags- milk on tap at the perfect temperature (body temperature).

Good for the environment, no wastage

This one doesn’t need much of an explanation! Yah!

Free!

Breastfeeding is free. Mothers require a small amount of extra calories in a day, but apart from the slight increase in food- it’s free! Formula feeding for the first year of a babies life can equate to roughly $1500-2000 AUD.

Decreases bubs risk of food allergies later in life

Some more research on this one here.

Ear infections, respiratory illnesses, and bouts of diarrhea

Lower risk of certain cancers for mother

Breastfeeding reduces a mothers risk of breast and ovarian cancer by an enormous amount! Here is some more research on that if you are interested!

Helps with postpartum weight loss for mama

When breastfeeding in the early days / weeks a mother will experience ‘after birth pains’. This is the process of her uterus returning to her pre-pregnancy size and breastfeeding hormones cause this to contract, amazing right!

The other reason breastfeeding helps new mothers to lose weight is that it burns calories, 200-500 to be exact!