Session 2.

Benefits of
breastfeeding

2/1
© UNICEF/UNI114991/Holt
Session 2. Objectives
Benefits of breastfeeding
After completing this session, participants will
be able to:

• state the advantages of optimal infant feeding

(exclusive and continued breastfeeding);
• list the special properties of colostrum and why it is
important;
• describe the main differences between breast milk
and artificial milk;
• list the risks of artificial feeding. 2/2
 Recommendations
1. Early initiation – with in an hour after
birth
2. Exclusive breast feeding until 6 months
of age
3. Introduce complimentary foods on 6
months with continued breastfeeding up to 2
years.
4. Continue breastfeed for 2 years or longer
 Breastfeeding in Punjab
65.6%
MICS 2014 60.9%
MICS 2018

42.1%
34.5%34.9%

16.8%
10.6% 9.5%

Early Initaition Exclusive Continued Continued

of Breastfeeding Breastfeeding at Breastdfeeding Breastdfeeding
6 months (1 year) (2 year)
 Benefits of breastfeeding
Breast milk Breastfeeding

Complete nutrients Helps bonding and development

Easily digested Helps delay a new pregnancy

Efficiently used Protects mothers’ health

Protects against infection

Protects against long-term

noncommunicable diseases

Costs less than artificial feeding

© UNICEF/UN0222431/Velazquez
2/3
Nutrients in breastmilk and formula milks

2/4
Nutrients in human and animal milks

Human Cow’s Goat’s

Fat

Protein

Lactose

2/5
© Felicity Savage
Quality of proteins in different milk
Human milk Cow’s milk

Whey protein

Curds

Easy to digest Difficult to digest 2/6

© Felicity Savage
Differences between colostrum and
mature milk
Foremilk Hindmilk

Fat

Protein

Lacto
se

Colostrum Mature
milk 2/7
© Felicity Savage
Colostrum
Property Importance
Antibody rich - Protects against allergy
infection
Many white cells - Protects against infection
Purgative - Clears meconium
-Helps to prevent jaundice

Growth factors - Helps intestine to mature

-Prevents allergy, intolerance

Rich in vitamin A - Reduces severity of infection

2/8
Protection against infection
1. Mother infected
2. White cells in mother’s
body make antibodies
to protect mother
3. Some white cells go to
breast and make
antibodies there
4. Antibodies to mother’s
infection secreted in © UNICEF/UN0255446/Pasquall

milk to protect baby

2/9
 Risk of diarrhoea by feeding method
Philippines, infants aged 0–2 months
20
18 17.3
16
14 13.3
12
10
8
6
4 3.2
2 1
0
Breast milk only Breast milk and Breast milk and nu- No breast milk
non-nutritious tritious supple-
liquids ments

Source: Popkin BM, Adair L, Akin JS, Black R, Briscoe J, Flieger W. Breast-feeding and diarrheal morbidity.
Pediatrics. 1990;86:874–82.
2/10
Psychological benefits of breastfeeding
Emotional bonding
• Close, loving relationship
between mother and baby
• Mother more emotionally
satisfied
• Baby cries less
• Baby may be more
emotionally secure

© Alamy, Mail on Line

Development
• Children perform better on 2/11
Risks of not breastfeeding
• May take more effort to bond with baby
• More diarrhoea and persistent diarrhoea
• More frequent respiratory infections
• Malnutrition; vitamin A deficiency
• More allergy and milk intolerance
• Increased risk of some chronic diseases
• Obesity
• Lower scores on intelligence tests
• Mother may become pregnant sooner
• Increased risk of anaemia, ovarian cancer and
breast cancer in mother 2/12
 2/2

Advantages of breastfeeding

Breast milk Breastfeeding

• Perfect nutrients • Helps bonding and
• Easily digested; development
efficiently used • Helps delay a new
• Protects against pregnancy
infection • Protects mothers’
health


Costs less than artificial feeding
 2/3

Nutrients in human and animal milks

Human Cow Goat

Fat

Protein

Lactose
 2/4

Differences in the quality of proteins in

different milks
Human milk Cow’s milk

Whey protein

Curds

Easy to digest Difficult to digest

 2/5

Protection against infection

1. Mother infected 2. White cells in
mother’s body
make antibodies to
protect mother

4. Antibodies to 3. Some white cells

mother’s infection go to breast and
secreted in milk to make antibodies
protect baby there
 2/6

Differences between colostrum and

Foremilk Hindmilk
mature milk

Fat

Protein

Lactose

Colostrum Mature milk

 2/7

Colostrum
• Property Importance
• Antibody rich - protects against allergy &
infection
• Many white cells - protects against infection
• Purgative - clears meconium
• - helps to prevent jaundice
• Growth factors - helps intestine to mature
• - prevents allergy, intolerance
• Rich in Vitamin A - reduces severity of infection
•
 2/9

Psychological benefits of breastfeeding

• Emotional bonding
• close, loving relationship between mother and baby
• mother more emotionally satisfied
• baby cries less
• baby may be more emotionally secure
• Development
• children perform better on intelligence tests
 2/10
Disadvantages of artificial feeding
• Interferes with bonding
• More diarrhoea and persistent diarrhoea
• More frequent respiratory infections
• Malnutrition; Vitamin A deficiency
• More allergy and milk intolerance
• Increased risk of some chronic diseases
• Obesity
• Lower scores on intelligence tests
• Mother may become pregnant sooner
• Increased risk of anaemia, ovarian cancer, and
breast cancer in mother