Breast milk has been widely known as the best nutrition for baby as it helps to build up their immunity, optimize their growth and protect them from infectious and chronic diseases such as,

1. Celiac disease
2. Meningitis
3. Inflammatory bowel disease
4. respiratory infections
5. Asthma
6. Childhood cancers
7. Allergies
8. Diabetes
9. Obesity    
10. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

By breastfeeding your child, Mum and baby create a special connection and bonding too.

Breastfeeding is definitely good for mum and baby and what they sow is actually much more than what they could have possibly expected. A new study shows that babies who are breastfed longer, score better on intelligence tests than babies who were formula-fed. This study was carried out in 186 countries. According to ABC news,

“The study of more than 1,300 moms and their babies, who were breastfed for periods ranging from less than a month to more than a year, found that each month of breastfeeding bolstered a 0.3-point increase in intelligence by age 3 and 0.5-point increase by age 7.

The differences held up even when the researchers controlled for parental intelligence, income, employment and education, and the benefit was biggest when babies were breastfed exclusively for the first six months — a target endorsed by experts but often untenable for working moms.“

This is not the first time that such study was carried out to show the benefits of Breastfeeding. In 2010, an Australian study published in Pediatrics found out that babies who were breastfed for 6 months or more scored better in school than their formula-fed classmates at the age of 10. The tests that the breastfed children excelled in were related to reading, writing and math. Even American Academy of Pediatrics recommended mothers to continue to breastfeed for the first 6 months of a child’s life to support the child’s developing growing needs and nutrition.

However, it can be a big challenge for working mums to continue to breastfeed when their maternity leave ends. More support is needed to help these new parents especially the working mothers out there.

By Crystal Tan | Source: ABC News

This article is part of Breastfeeding with Love campaign, initiated by The New Age Parents and New Age Pregnancy.

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