Breastfeeding: Best for baby. Best for mom.

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Find Support! National Breastfeeding Helpline - 800-994-9662 Trained breastfeeding peer counselors can help answer common breastfeeding questions by phone. Find out more details about the helpline. An Easy Guide to Breastfeeding This free publication provides information and encouragement to women on breastfeeding. It explains the benefits for baby, mom, and society. It also provides frequently asked questions and answers about breastfeeding. It is available in English, Spanish, as well as in English for African American and American Indian and Alaska Native women.

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The experience of breastfeeding is special for so many reasons, including:

• The joyful bonding with your baby
• The perfect nutrition only you can provide
• The cost savings
• The health benefits for both mother and baby

In fact, breast milk has disease-fighting antibodies that can help protect infants from several types of illnesses. And mothers who breastfeed have a lower risk of some health problems, including breast cancer and type 2 diabetes.

Fathers, partners, and other people in the mother’s support system can benefit from breastfeeding, too. Not only are there no bottles to prepare, but many people feel warmth, love, and relaxation just from sitting next to a mother and baby during breastfeeding.

Keep in mind that breastfeeding is a learned skill. It requires patience and practice. For some women, the learning stages can be frustrating and uncomfortable. And some situations make breastfeeding even harder, such as babies born early or health problems in the mother. The good news is that it will get easier, and support for breastfeeding mothers is growing.

You are special because you can make the food that is uniquely perfect for your baby. Invest the time in yourself and your baby — for your health and for the bond that will last a lifetime.

Featured Articles

• Health Care Reform Boosts Support for Employed Breastfeeding Mothers
  From the United States Breastfeeding Committee

• Confident Commitment is a Key Factor for Sustained Breastfeeding
  From Birth; by Avery, Zimmermann, Underwood, and Magnus

• Surgeon General’s Perspectives: The Status of Breastfeeding Today (PDF, 1.22 MB)
  By Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, Acting US Surgeon General

• Mothers and Children Benefit from Breastfeeding (PDF, 40 KB)
  By Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, Acting US Surgeon General

• Urgent Call for Human Milk Donations for Haiti Infants (PDF, 20.3 KB)
  By International Lactation Consultant Association

Content last updated August 1, 2010.