If you have been considering not nursing your baby, you're drowning in information. You are the only one who can make that decision, and the benefits appear endless.

Before making a choice, let's go over all the benefits for you and the child (or if you need confirmation that breastfeeding is the best option for you).

Breast milk is the best thing for nourishment for babies. It is easily accessible and has the right number of nutrients.

Even if solid foods are introduced after the first six months, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises continuing exclusive nursing until the child is at least one year old or until both the mother and the child are ready to quit.

The benefits of breastfeeding last for at least two years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source. For the greatest advantages, these organizations advise beginning as soon as an hour after birth.

Here are 11 wonderful scientific advantages of nursing for you and your child.

Breastfeeding benefits for baby

1. Breast milk provides ideal nutrition for small babies

Most medical practitioners advise breastfeeding exclusively for at least six months and preferably much longer.

Breast milk contains all the nutrients a newborn needs in the right amounts for the first six months of life. It has a variety of components to meet the baby's varying needs, particularly in the first month of life.

Early after birth, the mother’s breasts produce colostrum, a thick, yellowish fluid. It is very low in sugar, high in protein, and has a lot of healthful nutrients. It is a truly miraculous food that formula cannot take the place of.

Colostrum is the best and first milk because it helps the infant's growing digestive system grow. After some days, the breasts produce more milk as the baby's stomach expands.

The only thing missing from your supply of miraculous milk is vitamin D. Breast milk won't supply properly unless you consume a lot of it (most people don't). Drops of vitamin D are usually advised.

2. Breast milk contains important antibodies

Those delicate antibodies found in breast milk are crucial for helping your infant fight off viruses and bacteria.

This is true of the first milk, colostrum. Immunoglobulin A (also called IgA) and several other antibodies are abundant in colostrum.

Antibodies that you start to produce after being exposed to viruses or bacteria end up in the milk. Immunity, my dear!

By creating a barrier in the baby's nose, throat, and digestive tract, IgA guards against illness rested Source.

Babies' antibodies are not protected by formula. According to several studies, babies not breastfed are more susceptible to infections, diarrhea, and health problems like pneumonia.

3. Breastfeeding may reduce disease risk

Exclusive breastfeedingTrusted Source, meaning that the baby gets only breast milk, is particularly beneficial.

This can lesser baby’s risk for many illnesses and diseases, including:

• Middle ear infections. Breastfeeding, particularly exclusively & as long as possible, can protect against middle ear, throat, and sinus infections well beyond infancyTrusted Source.
• Respiratory tract infections. Breastfeeding may protect against multiple trusted Sources of respiratory and gastrointestinal acute illnesses.
• Colds and infections. Babies exclusively breastfed for half a year can have a lower risk of serious colds and ear or throat infections.
• Gut infections. Breastfeeding is connected with a reduction in gut infections.
• Intestinal tissue damage. Feeding preterm babies breast milk is connected with reducing the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitisTrusted Source.
• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Breastfeeding is connected to a reduced risk of SIDS, especially when breastfeeding exclusively.
• Allergic diseases. Breastfeeding is connected to a reduced risk trusted Source of asthma, atopic dermatitis, and eczema.
• Bowel diseases. Breastfed Babies can be less likely trusted sources to develop Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
• Diabetes. Breastfeeding is linked to a reduced risk trusted Source of developing type 1 diabetes & non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes.
• Childhood leukemia. Breastfeeding is connected to a reduction in the risk for childhood leukemiaTrusted Source.

4. Breast milk promotes the baby’s healthy weight

It helps prevent childhood obesity and encourages healthy weight gain.

According to one trusted study Source, breastfeeding for more than four months significantly decreased the likelihood that a kid would grow up overweight or obese.

Beneficial gut bacteria are more prevalent in breastfed babies, which may impact how fat is stored.

Breastfed babies have higher levels of leptin in their bodies than newborns who are fed formula. An important hormone for controlling hunger and fat accumulation is called leptin.

Kids that are breastfed self-regulate how much milk they consume. They are better at eating only until they are full, which helps develop wholesome eating habits.

5. Breastfeeding may make children smarter

Baby might perform better on those tests if breastfed. According to several research studies, breastfed infants grow their brains differently from formula-fed infants.

This distinction might result from the nutrient composition of breastmilk as well as the closeness, touch, and eye contact that are part of breastfeeding.

According to studiesTrusted Source, breastfed infants score more highly on IQ tests and are less likely to experience behavioral issues or learning challenges as they age.

Preterm infants have a higher risk for developmental problems and experience the most noticeable consequences.

The evidence unequivocally demonstrates that nursing benefits a small baby's long-term brain development.

6. Breastfeeding may help you lose weight

You may have heard this one before. Some women appear to put on weight while breastfeeding, but others do so without effort.

Breastfeeding burns more calories.

Compared to non-lactating mothers, you'll notice an increase in fat burning after three months of nursing, according to a reliable source. 

7. Breastfeeding helps the uterus contract

Your uterus increases significantly throughout pregnancy, going from the size of a pear to nearly taking up the entire area of your belly.

Your uterus undergoes a process known as involution after delivery that aids in its growth back to its pre-pregnancy size. The pregnancy-related rise helps this process in the hormone oxytocin.

During labor, your body generates large amounts of oxytocin to aid delivery and lessen bleeding. You might feel closer to your new baby as a result of it.

Breastfeeding causes a rise in oxytocin as well. It promotes uterine contractions and lessens bleeding, which helps the uterus expand back to its original size.

Studies have demonstrated that mothers who breastfeed typically experience less postpartum blood loss and more rapid uterine involution.

8. Many mothers who breastfeed have a lower risk for depression

A kind of depression known as postpartum depression (also called PPD) may appear soon after giving birth.

According to a 2012 study by trusted Sources, breastfeeding women appear less likely to experience postpartum depression than mothers who wean early or do not nurse.

You may inform your doctor as soon as possible if you experience any PPD symptoms.

9. Breastfeeding reduces your disease risk

Breastfeeding appears to offer long-term protection against cancer and several other disorders.

Breast and ovarian cancer risk are inversely correlated with a woman's duration of breastfeeding.

Ladies who breastfeed have a lower risk for:

• high blood pressure
• arthritis
• high blood fats

10. Breastfeeding may prevent menstruation

Continued breastfeeding also delays menstrua