9 Months 10 Months 11 Months 1 Year 2 Years 3 Years 4 Years 5 Years 6 Years 7 Years 8 Years 9 Years 10 Years 11 Years 12 Years Breastfeeding is beneficial to both baby and mother, but it may take a bit of trying to get it right. Here are some pointers to help facilitate feeding. Like soothing a crying child, breastfeeding doesn't always come naturally-to mother or to baby. Though infants are born with a strong sucking reflex, there is a learning and adjustment process that gradually facilitates feeding. To guide them, nursing mothers need a little knowledge about the process and, ideally, feedback from a woman who has nursed successfully.
Nursing is certainly worth some early effort.
Breast milk is favored nutritionally, and studies indicate that infants who nurse have fewer gastrointestinal problems and upper respiratory infections. There is also some recent data indicating that breastfeeding has beneficial effects for mother, such as decreasing her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Even if you're planning to return to work within a month or two after having your baby, it's still a good idea to nurse until then. Studies indicated that some substances in breast milk are most effective in the first few weeks of life, when the brain is developing rapidly. And colostrum, a mother's early milk, has been shown to aid in the absorption of important nutrients.