{"id":2411,"date":"2022-08-12T14:34:01","date_gmt":"2022-08-12T21:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/?p=2411"},"modified":"2024-04-25T11:41:18","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T18:41:18","slug":"the-big-deal-about-breastfeeding-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/the-big-deal-about-breastfeeding-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Big Deal About Breastfeeding"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Recently, a couple came to see me for their first baby\u2019s 2-week checkup. They were happy and tired. The baby was beautiful and gaining weight well. The mom reported that breastfeeding was going well \u2013 her milk was in, nipples did not hurt, and the baby seemed to have got the hang of feeding just fine!<br \/>\n<span id=\"more-1403\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>After a few minutes of talking, the dad asked if he could ask me a \u201cdumb question\u201d? He said he was completely supportive of his partner\u2019s breastfeeding and happy the baby was growing well, but he wanted to know:\u00a0What\u2019s the big deal about breastfeeding anyway?<\/p>\n<p>Well, you know what they say about \u201cdumb questions\u201d right? There aren\u2019t any. Or, as I have told my kids to remember, if you have a question, there\u2019s a good chance that others around you have the same question \u2013 so ask it. This dad\u2019s question is a great one and worth spending some time answering.<\/p>\n<p>Breastfeeding is literally a big deal because breast milk is the perfect food for babies. It\u2019s much easier to digest. And breastfeeding has many benefits for both baby and mom.<b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Breastfed babies:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Are less likely to get sick. Breast milk contains antibodies, special substances made by the mother\u2019s immune system.<\/li>\n<li>Are less likely to get ear infections, colds, diarrhea, and pneumonia.<\/li>\n<li>Have a lower risk of developing diabetes and obesity in later life.<\/li>\n<li>Have a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Breastfeeding moms:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Are less likely to get sick. Breast milk contains antibodies, special substances made by the mother\u2019s immune system.<\/li>\n<li>May lose weight more quickly because you use calories while breastfeeding.<\/li>\n<li>Have reduced risks of getting breast cancer and ovarian cancer.<\/li>\n<li>Have decreased risks\u00a0of diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and heart disease.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Breastfeeding also:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Is a wonderful way to bond with your baby! I really enjoyed those many hours of sitting still and caring for my babies. It felt like we were quiet and connected while the rest of the busy world spun around us.<\/li>\n<li>Is much cheaper (almost free), unlike formula that can cost $1,000 to $2,000 for a year\u2019s supply.<\/li>\n<li>Makes nighttime feedings much easier \u2013 just grab the baby and plug them in!<\/li>\n<li>Makes leaving the house easier \u2013 less gear to take.<\/li>\n<li>Helps the environment by cutting down waste from formula packaging and bottle washing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Convinced? I hope so. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you breastfeed your baby for the first 6 months. I agree! When possible, it\u2019s best to continue breastfeeding, while also giving your baby\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/starting-your-baby-on-solid-foods\/\">solid foods<\/a>, for at least the first year of life. After that, breastfeed for as long as both you and your baby want. The longer you breastfeed, the greater those benefits will be for you and your baby.<\/p>\n<p>Find more resources for parents:<br \/>\nMy Doctor Online<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/pregnancy\/#\/category\/0%3B10%3B16\">Breastfeeding resources<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The American Academy of Pediatrics<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthychildren.org\/English\/ages-stages\/baby\/breastfeeding\/Pages\/default.aspx\">Breastfeeding resources<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>This article was originally published on August 2, 2018.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently, a couple came to see me for their first baby\u2019s 2-week checkup. They were happy and tired. The baby was beautiful and gaining weight well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1409,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[667],"tags":[275,366,427,668,602,634],"class_list":["post-2411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newborn-care","tag-breastfeeding","tag-breastfeeding-newborn","tag-breastmilk","tag-infant","tag-newborn","tag-parenting-newborn","ages-baby","ages-prenatal"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1714070349:8"],"_edit_last":["8"],"slide_template":["default"],"video_format_choose":["youtube"],"_custom_body_class":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["60"],"qode_animate-page-title":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-text":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-image":["no"],"qode_show-sidebar":["default"],"qode_hide-featured-image":["no"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_ages":["287"],"_thumbnail_id":["1409"],"wpfp_favorites":["9"],"qode_seo_title":["Breastfeeding Benefits for Moms and Babies"],"qode_seo_keywords":["breastfeeding, breastmilk, moms, babies"],"qode_seo_description":["Breastfeeding benefits for moms and babies"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":["breastfeeding"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":["breastfeeding"],"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":["73"],"_wp_old_date":["2019-08-05","2019-08-12"],"bonfire_pageloader_display":[""],"ase_chapter_enable_timeline":["off"],"_wpb_vc_js_status":["false"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["3"],"_yoast_indexnow_last_ping":["1714070479"],"ase_map_component_start_point":["a:2:{s:3:\"lat\";d:29.76;s:3:\"lng\";d:-95.38;}"],"ase_mapbox_style":["openstreet"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":["[]"],"_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":["[\"\"]"],"_yoast_wpseo_wordproof_timestamp":[""]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2411"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2416,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2411\/revisions\/2416"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}