Breastfeeding is the ideal way to provide the necessary nutrients to the baby during the first six months of life, with the purpose of contributing to growth and healthier development, according to the executive director of Hospital Care of the Ministry of Health of the Mexico City (Sedesa), Angélica Martínez Huitrón.
In this order of ideas, the Federal Consumer Protection Office (Profeco) states that if newborns are fed exclusively with their mother’s milk during the first six months of life, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO ), in addition to feeding them correctly, the risk of dying in their first year of life can be reduced from 55 to 87%.
And it is that breast milk prevents the baby from suffering allergies and due to its characteristics, it enhances its mental development, generates antibodies and its composition is not always the same, since it adapts to the needs of the child, specifies the Profeco.
Benefits of breastfeeding for the baby
According to Sedesa, these are the benefits that breastfeeding brings to children:
- Breast milk protects the newborn against diseases
- Provides ideal nutrients for its development
- Reduces the risk of digestive and respiratory diseases, allergies, constipation, reflux, obesity, diabetes and reduces the risk of cavities.
- Improves intellectual and psychomotor development
“Breastfeeding is vital due to the enormous benefits in newborns,” added Martínez Huitrón.
Benefits for the mother
- Reduces postpartum bleeding
- Postpartum weight loss
- Reduces the risk of breast ovarian cancer and osteoporosis
- Creates an emotional bond between mother and baby