There are many benefits of breastfeeding. This is nature's way of naturally providing for babies. We have taken this natural way and turned it into something that is offensive and unnatural. Today many people think that the "normal" way to feed an infant is to use a bottle with formula. While this may be necessary in some cases, the many women have enough milk, but choose to use formula instead. The benefits of breastfeeding are for both mother and baby.
The milk is incredible. It is the perfect temperature, the areola is already sterile, and it is easy to carry with you wherever you may go and these are some nice benefits of breastfeeding. With formula, however, you have to sterilize the bottles, and then warm up the milk to the right temperature. The milk contains the perfect balance of nutrients, including fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and antibodies. Formula tries to imitate breast milk, but doesn't come close. Also the milk changes to meet the needs of the growing baby. Formula stays the same from newborn to toddler. The antibodies that are found in the mother are passed through the milk to the infant and are one of the many benefits of breastfeeding. This protects the infant from many illnesses as the infant has a weak immune system.
Breastfed babies are healthier with fewer infections. This means less visits to the doctor and less use of antibiotics. Breastfed babies also have fewer food allergies. By breastfeeding there is a lower risk of contamination from water sources or from bacteria getting into their digestive system. Because of the benefits of breastfeeding, research has found that breastfed babies are at lower risk for Type 1 & 2 diabetes and obesity. Breastfeeding can reduce the risk of tooth decay. Some formula fed babies will go to sleep with their bottles in their mouths, causing the milk to stay on the teeth and encouraging tooth decay.
There are also many benefits of breastfeeding for the mother. Breastfeeding burns more calories than when pregnant, reduces the uterus size and minimizes the bleeding after birth. It delays ovulation and reduces the risk of breast cancer. Even when a mother is sick, there is no cause to worry about passing along the illness to the infant as the infant is receiving the antibodies from the mother, so is less likely to become sick. Practically speaking, breastfeeding also saves money. There are no bottles to buy and no formula either, which reduces the waste that is produced for formula fed babies. There is a wonderful bond that is developed between mother and baby when breastfeeding. With all those benefits of breastfeeding and so many more, who would want to use formula?