The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breast-feeding for a year, and as long as baby and mother desire after that. Once a baby reaches 6-months-old, the it can start start having complimentary foods. But the vast majority of Americans aren’t doing that!!!
A reseat study of new mothers in America fount that just 33 percent of mothers exclusively breast-feed to 3 months of age, and only 14 percent to 6 months!!
So why aren’t women doing it? The researches seem to think women don’t breast feed for one simple reason: because it’s hard.
You have to learn how to breast feed, you have to teach you baby how to do it (it’s hard to teach a 1-hour-old anything these days). T learn how to breast feed you have to be alone, unless you want all the friends and family members that come to see your newborn to also get a look at your rack.
Then you’re home and back to work and it’s hard to pump the milk.
“Working mothers need 15 minutes twice a day at the job to pump their breast milk, he said. They need a private place to pump, and they need a refrigerator to store the milk,”
according to experts.
Clearly that is a whole lot of work, but the benefits are well worth it. The benefits include:
– Protection against infections of the ear and respiratory system.
– Protection against diseases of the digestive and intestinal tract that cause vomiting or diarrhea.
– Reduced risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
– Reduced likelihood that the child will develop such chronic diseases as diabetes, asthma and obesity later in life.
– Enhanced brain development.
– Decreased risk for leukemia, lymphoma and other cancers.
So, um… you might want to consider breast feeding!
[Image via WENN.]