• Babies were born to be breastfed.
• Human milk is easy to digest and contains more than 200 components that babies need in the early months of life.
  
• Factors in breast milk protect infants from a wide variety of illnesses.
  
• Children who have been breastfed have less risk of becoming overweight or obese, even as adults.
  
• Research has shown that children who had been breastfed had higher IQs.
  

Breastfeeding saves lives

• Lack of breastfeeding is a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
  
• Human milk protects premature infants from life-threatening gastrointestinal disease.
  
• Breastfed children have lower risk of dying before their first birthday.
  

Breastfed infants are healthier

• Formula fed infants have twice the risk of having ear infections in the first year than infants who are exclusively breastfed for at least 4 months.
  
• Breastfeeding reduces the incidence, and lessens the severity of a large number of infections, including pneumonia and meningitis in infants.
  
• Breastfeeding protects infants against a variety of illnesses, such as diarrhea and infant botulism.
  
• Breastfed babies have less chance of allergies, asthma and eczema.
  
• Evidence suggests that exclusive breastfeeding for at least two months protects susceptible children from Type I insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (DDM).
  
• Breastfeeding may reduce the risk for subsequent inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and childhood cancers.
  

Breastfeeding helps mothers recover from childbirth

• Breastfeeding helps the uterus to shrink to its pre-pregnancy state and reduces the amount of blood lost after delivery.
  
• Mothers who breastfeed for at least 3 months may lose more weight than mothers who do not breastfeed.
  
• Breastfeeding mothers usually resume their menstrual cycles 20 to 30 weeks later than mothers who do not breastfeed.
  

Breastfeeding keeps women healthier throughout their lives

• Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months can help in child spacing among women who do not use contraceptives (The Lactation Amenorrhea Method).
  
• Breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
  
• Breastfeeding may reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
  

Breastfeeding is economical

• The cost of infant formula has increased 150 percent since the 1980’s.
  
• Breastfeeding reduces health care costs.
  

Breastfeeding is environmentally sound

• Unlike infant formula, breastfeeding requires no fossil fuels for its manufacture or preparation.
  
• Breastfeeding reduces pollutants created as by-products during the manufacture of plastics for bottles and metal for cans to contain infant formula.
  
• Breastfeeding reduces the burden on our landfills, as there are no cans to throw away.
  

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