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Breastfeeding, also called nursing, can be an easy and inexpensive way for a mother to feed her child.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Policy Statement on Breastfeeding, women who don’t have health problems should exclusively breastfeed their infants for at least the first six months of life. The AAP suggests that women try to breastfeed for the first 12 months of life because of the benefits to both the mother and baby.

What are the benefits of breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding offers many benefits to the baby:

• Breast milk provides the right balance of nutrients to help an infant grow into a strong and healthy toddler.
• Breastfed infants, and those who are fed expressed breast milk, have fewer deaths during the first year and experience fewer illnesses than babies fed formula.
• Some of the nutrients in breast milk also help protect an infant against some common childhood illnesses and infections, such as diarrhea, middle ear infections, and certain lung infections.

Breastfeeding also bene (More)

Understanding Breast Feeding

Commonly Asked Questions

Additional Information