Benefits to your baby
Besides offering your infant a natural, complete diet, breast milk also provides a number of other important benefits. Its proper balance of protein, carbohydrates, fat, and minerals permits easier digestion, with fewer intestinal problems such as diarrhea or constipation.

Breastfed babies are less likely to become overweight. There is also less chance that your breastfed infant will suffer from excessive water loss or other related disorders. Breastfed infants are less likely to experience allergic reactions. In addition, breast milk provides the newborn with a natural protection against infection, because important antibodies are transmitted from mother to child through the milk.

Breastfeeding also affords psychological benefits to the baby by allowing him or her to experience the close, physical warmth of mother's body, to take pleasure in the sound of her voice and the sight of her face, and, at the same time, to satisfy the baby's sucking needs.

Benefits to you
As a breastfeeding mother, you too will benefit by sharing a unique and satisfying relationship with your infant. The physical act of your baby's sucking will relieve the discomfort of your full breasts. Breastfeeding uses a lot of calories, thereby helping you lose the weight gained during pregnancy. Breastfeeding also helps tighten your uterus, hastening the return to its prepregnancy size.

Furthermore, breastfeeding is a convenient, economical means of feeding your child. A supply of milk, warmed to the right temperature, is available whenever your baby is hungry.