Baby Friendly Manitoba: Information for Parents
Why Is It Important To Breastfeed My Baby?
Babies who are breastfed have lower rates of:
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- obesity
- Type I diabetes
- childhood cancers, including leukemia and lymphoma
- pneumonia and other respiratory infections
- coughs and colds
- gastrointestinal infections
- vomiting, diarrhea, constipation
- urinary tract infections
- ear infections that can damage hearing
- meningitis
- Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis
- Celiac disease
- asthma, allergies, and eczema
- heart disease and liver disease in adulthood
What are the benefits for the mother?
- a faster return to pre-pregnancy weight
- stronger bones in later life
- lower rates of breast and ovarian cancer
Links:
- Baby's Best Chance
(see page 108) - Ten Great Reasons To Breastfeed Your Baby (Public Health Agency of Canada)
- Eight Great Reasons To Breastfeed Your Baby (Healthy Child Manitoba)
- Breastfeeding Your Baby
- Importance of breastfeeding (Healthy Families BC)
- Making an Informed Decision About Feeding Your Baby
NEXT: Getting Ready to Breastfeed
