Duration Of Natural Feeding Or How Long To Breastfeed Your Baby

How long to continue your baby's natural feeding is a personal decision that every mother must make on her own. If you enjoy breastfeeding, it can last as long as you and your baby want. This can mean several months, a year, two or even more. There is no need to stop before you are both ready.

The World Health Organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Council for Health and Medical Research in Australia recommend exclusive breastfeeding (ie, no other liquids or solid foods) for up to six months, and then continue in combination with solid foods up to 12-24 months of age or as long as the mother and baby want.

Most women set goals for breastfeeding from the very beginning - to last between three months and a year. If this does not happen as you planned, you can be sure that even a few days of breastfeeding are important for the baby. Whatever you decide, try offering your baby only breast milk until he or she is six months old. This will give him a healthy start in life. When he is ready to try his first solid food does not mean that the time has come to stop breastfeeding.

Support from your partner, family and friends will encourage you to continue breastfeeding for as long as you want. It is very common for mothers to be pressured by family and friends to stop breastfeeding before they are ready. But the decision is entirely yours!

Returning to work is also not a reason to stop breastfeeding. Many women successfully combine it with bottle feeding, although this requires a more precise schedule (planning). By continuing to breastfeed, you will maintain a close relationship with your baby and this will help both of you to cope with your separation from each other during the day.

What are the benefits of breastfeeding your baby during different periods

The baby will get such valuable colostrum. Through it, antibodies will enter the child's body and thus he receives his first "immunization". This will help his digestive system work better. Breastfeeding will give a good start in the baby's life and will help him recover after birth. Given how little needs to be done on your part and how much the newborn will gain, it makes sense to even breastfeed for a few days.

You will protect the baby in its most critical period. Newborns who are not breastfed are much more likely to get sick or hospitalized, as well as have much more digestive problems than breastfed babies.

The baby's digestive system will mature and will be in a much better condition to tolerate foreign substances in formula. Breastfeeding for the first 4 months protects against allergies and provides strong protection against ear infections throughout the year.

If you breastfeed for 6 months without adding any other food or drink, you will guarantee good health during the first year of your baby's life. You will reduce the risk of ear infections and cancer in childhood, and also reduce your risk of breast cancer. Exclusive and frequent breastfeeding on demand (day and night) during the first 6 months of the baby can provide you with 98% effective contraception only if your cycle has not yet recovered.

You will notice good and fast development of the body and brain. Breastfeeding during this period will help ensure better performance during the school years. Weaning at this age can be relatively easy!

It will provide him with many health benefits. He will have a strong immune system and will be much less likely to need orthodontic treatment or speech therapy. The National Council for Health and Medical Research recommends breastfeeding for a year, or for as long as the mother and baby want, because it helps and ensures the child's normal nutrition and health.

You will continue to provide him with food, comfort and protection from disease. Also, the child will have had enough time to strengthen their bond with you and is now old enough to work together on the weaning process.

You can feel confident that he has received the physical and emotional needs that will provide him with a normal and healthy lifestyle. In countries where there is no pressure to wean children, women tend to breastfeed for at least 2 years. The World Health Organization and UNICEF strongly recommend breastfeeding in early childhood: "Breast milk is an important source of energy and protein, and helps prevent disease during the second year of a child's life."

Families of breastfed infants find that their costs for medical services are lower than those of formula-fed or early-weaned children.

Studies show that long-term breastfeeding has a good effect on children's intelligence. In addition to the benefits for children, long-term breastfeeding also has a good effect on mothers - it reduces the risk of developing breast cancer.

Whether you breastfeed for a day or for a few years is a decision you have to make yourself and you will never regret it!