Breastfeeding Saves Lives!

For as long as I can remember, we've known that the best nutrition for your baby is breast milk. Many moms opt to breastfeed their babies but there are also many others out there that either chose not to or can't for a variety of reasons. New research has recently been reported that states moms who breastfeed their babies for at least 6 months can help save the lives of almost 1,000 babies each year. It can also save billions of dollars. A mother's milk contains antibodies that help babies fight infections. It also helps babies in avoiding diabetes, obesity and, most importantly, SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

I have chosen to breastfeed my daughter and, at 15 months, she continues to breastfeed 2-3 times a day and take 2-3 bottles with breast milk in them. I pumped while breastfeeding initially and continued to pump at work so I could store breast milk if and when my milk ran out. At 15 months, she is extremely healthy and flourishing. She has never been sick besides having a minor cold and a runny nose. She has never had an ear infection or even been very colicky for that matter. I attribute much, if not all, of this to her being explicitly breastfed for the first 6 months of her life. In addition to breast milk, I introduced solids at 6 months and continue to supplement her meals with breast milk, even at 15 months.