Importance of Breast feeding

Human milk has been hailed as “a unique gift of love and a natural resource” by Dr. Derrick B. Jelliffe, one of the greatest authorities in infant nutrition. Every baby, as far as possible, must be breast-fed at least for the first 3 months and preferably for the 6 months of life. As and when there is doubt if the infant will be able to receive enough of proteins from elsewhere, he should continue to be fed on the breast for as long as 2 years or so. Remember, mother’s milk is not a “poor babies’ food” but food of choice for the infant. Breast-feeding is considered the best. Its outstanding advantages are that human milk has a composition that is ideally suited to meet the requirements of an infant. No other milk comes anywhere close to it in this connection. Remember, it may be possible to bring up an infant on milks of other species, it is quite impossible to humanize cow’s milk or for that matter any other milk. Mother’s Milk is always fresh, pure and ready for instant use, requiring no preparation. Human milk is always at a temperature which is best suited to the infant. You do not have to boil it and then make sure that it gets to the right temperature.