About

If the 90% of U.S. families followed the recommended guidelines for exclusive breastfeeding, the United States could save $13 billion annually from both direct and indirect medical costs. The Virginia Department of Health recommends that infants be breastfed for the first six months of life, with gradual introduction of solid foods at six months. Along with this, it is also recommended that infants be breastfed for the first year of life and thereafter as long as mutually desired.

Benefits for Baby

Breastfeeding offers many advantages to infants, which cannot be duplicated in any other form of feeding. These advantages begin at birth and continue throughout the lifespan.

• Breast milk is the infant’s first immunization. It provides antibodies and immunities, which protect the infant from many chronic and acute illnesses.
• According the U.S. Surgeon General’s Call To Action To Support Breastfeeding, infants who are not breastfed are at an increased risk for such illnesses.

Among Full-Term Infants

Benefits for Mom

• Breastfeeding uses extra calories, making it easier to lose the excess pounds gained during pregnancy.
• The process of breastfeeding causes the body to produce increased levels of oxytocin, a hormone that stimulates uterine contractions; this process helps to reduce blood loss after delivery.
• According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Call To Action To Support Breastfeeding, women who do not breastfed are at an increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer.

Among Mothers

Breast Milk Facts

• Contains the ideal balance of nutrients
• Species specific (designed specifically for each individual infant)
• Changes over time and throughout the course of the day
• Provides antibodies to help protect infants
• Provides growth factors for infants’ intestinal tract