World Breastfeeding Week: Advantages of Breastfeeding

On August 1st 1990 at a WHO/Unicef meeting, the members unanimously decided to declare the first week of August as breastfeeding week to promote, and to educate people about the benefits of breastfeeding and to choose mother’s milk over formula whenever possible. In its 27th year, the campaign aims to promote policies that will encourage women and make it easier for them to breastfeed everywhere. On this occasion, we also thought of jotting down some advantages of breastfeeding and why it should always be given a preference over supplement or formula. • Breast feeding provides the ideal amount nutrition for your babies. It is a perfect combination of vitamins, protein and fat - everything that your baby needs for complete development. • Breast milk also has antibodies that helps your baby fight off viruses and bacteria. Plus it also lowers the risk of having asthma or allergies. • Babies who are breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months without any formula are less prone to infections, respiratory illnesses and bouts of diarrhea. • Breast milk is easily digestible therefore breastfed babies have fewer constipation related issues. • Breastfeeding is also known to be a contributing factor towards higher IQ scores later in childhood. • Breastfed babies are known for gaining the right amount of weight and not become obese later. • Breastfeeding also lowers the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) a condition where the baby is found dead after having been put to bed with no signs of suffering. There are several studies and theories that speak for and even challenge the benefits of breastfeeding across the world. Breastfeeding not helps the child but also helps the mother to lose pregnancy weight faster, and lowers the risk of having osteoporosis and even ovarian cancer. Motherhood is beautiful but giving birth and raising a baby takes requires a lot of commitment and dedication. It is very common to see both the mother and the baby visiting the doctor frequently after the delivery of the baby. The easiest way to prepare for such visits is by keeping yourself and your baby insured by adding them under your existing family health insurance cover. Bajaj Allianz’s Health Guard Policy, is the perfect policy for the family as it offers both individual and floater policy with maternity benefits and cover for the new born baby. Give your baby the shield of insurance and get them a health insurance policy  today! *Terms and Conditions apply.