The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that breast milk is the optimal form of nutrition for infants and recommends exclusive breastfeeding for approximately the first 6 months of life. According to Dr. William Sears in the Baby Book, breast milk contains at least 400 nutrients, including hormones and growth factors that are absent in formula. It is more digestible and results in less spitting up, less colic and less gas. It contains easily digestible proteins and iron, crucial brain-building fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

Breast-fed babies:

• Get five times fewer stomach infections than formula fed babies
  
• Suffer up to 50% fewer ear infections than formula fed babies
  
• Have a lower risk of SIDS
  
• Are protected from bronchitis and pneumonia and from developing allergies and asthma, with a reduced risk of becoming diabetic.
  

Breastfeeding helps build a strong bond between mother and baby and speeds the mother's recovery from childbirth. Nursing stimulates hormones that help the uterus contract back to it's pre-pregnancy size, and helps new mothers lose extra weight gained during pregnancy.

Getting Started with Breastfeeding
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