Breastfeeding is nature's means of providing for the complete and necessary nutritional needs of infants. Researchers find that breastfeeding also promotes bonding between the mother and baby, resulting in lower rates of child abuse and accidental injuries among breastfed infants. Another benefit is that breastfeeding helps women recover sooner from childbirth. Breastfeeding is recognized as the preferred method of infant feeding by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Dietetic Association, the American Public Health Association, the American Academy of Family Practitioners, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, and the National Association of Women, Infants and Children Directors. Breast milk composition changes to meet the changing needs of the growing baby, something that formula cannot do.
Breast milk lowers the risk of food allergies, colic and asthma in babies.
Breast milk requires no special preparation. Breastfed babies may have a higher IQ than formula-fed babies. From the first moment of birth, breastfeeding allows mothers and babies to spend time together to learn about each other. Women who breastfeed have less bleeding after delivery. Hormones produced while breastfeeding cause the release of oxytocin, which is a hormone produced in the body which makes the uterus contract.