The benefits of breastfeeding: A timeline for the ages
Breastfeeding is more than the act of just feeding your little one. It also provides an incredible number of health benefits to both you and your baby — in addition to all the money saved on formula. That’s why the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization both recommend exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months followed by continued breastfeeding with complementary foods for at least 2 years and beyond as mutually desired. Outside of Western culture, where natural weaning is practiced more readily, the average age to stop breastfeeding globally is between two and four years old.
There’s no right answer for how long you should breastfeed — but more time does bring more benefits. Whether you breastfeed for four months, nine months, two years, or more, you’ll give your baby and yourself a priceless gift with effects that last a lifetime.
Breastfeeding also helps our society as a whole by reducing healthcare costs, environmental waste, and the need for maternal and parental sick days. Here is a timeline of the key health benefits of breastfeeding for mothers, breastfeeding parents, and babies:
A few days
Colostrum — that thick liquid gold you produce as your first milk (starting at approximately week 15 of pregnancy and lasting until a few days after baby is born) — will transition to mature milk. Colostrum provides antibodies and serves as the first “immunization” for your baby. It also supplies the perfect nutrition while they learn to nurse. In these early days, colostrum stabilizes your baby’s blood sugars, kick-starts the digestive system, and contributes to their mental development.
But the benefits don’t end there: Breastfeeding also helps you recover physically from giving birth by causing your uterus to contract back to its normal size. Finally, all that skin-to-skin contact between parent and baby creates a perfect environment for quality bonding and has its own list of advantages. Remember, if you experience any trouble in these early days and beyond, request a consultation with a lactation consultant for extra support. They’re here to help you deliver quality nutrition to your baby and meet your breastfeeding goals.
Four to six weeks
After the first few weeks, with proper IBCLC support, you will probably be past some of the early challenges many parents experience like latching issues, and you’ll have an established milk supply. This period is the most critical time for building baby’s immune system. As your little one grows, your breast milk adapts to your baby’s needs, providing nutrients that are perfect for their developmental state. At this stage, breast milk helps prevent digestive issues and chest infections while providing the nutrition they need to reach those early growth markers.
A perk of breastfeeding: You won’t have to deal with washing and preparing bottles — at least until you start pumping breast milk. This makes middle-of-the-night and on-the-go feedings quicker.
Two months
Research has found that breastfeeding for any duration of time lowers the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by 60 percent. Babies fed with a combination of formula and breastmilk until two months of age and older had a 62% lower risk of SIDS, and babies who were exclusively breastfed during the same time period (2+ months) had a 73% lower risk of SIDs. Along with lowering the risk of SIDS with any and exclusive breastfeeding independently, there are a multitude of other health benefits for infants from breastfeeding, one of which is lowering an infant risk of food allergies.
When it comes to benefits for lactating parents, breastfeeding can lower the risk of cancers or heart disease for the breastfeeding parent. Bodies will remain in a state of flux postpartum — after all, it took nine months to grow that baby. The top priority is maintaining a healthy weight as you nourish yourself and your little one.
Three to four months
Three to four months of breastfeeding protects your little one against asthma for the first two years of their life, while breastfeeding for longer periods of time offers protection that extends past five years. Studies have also shown that exclusive breastfeeding for four months lowers your baby’s risk of chest infection and diarrhea as their digestive and immune systems continue to develop.
As for maternal and parental benefits, breastfeeding parents experience lower rates of postpartum depression up to four months after giving birth. The act of breastfeeding may also help mothers and breastfeeding parents recover more quickly from these symptoms.
Six months
Breastfeeding exclusively for six months lowers your baby’s risk for ear, nose, throat, and sinus infections past infancy and may protect against autoimmune disease and respiratory allergies as well. After six months of breastfeeding, your baby also has a 19 percent lower risk for childhood leukemia. Finally, studies have linked breastfeeding with improved cognitive development that extends into childhood. Breastfed babies often develop motor skills at an earlier age and may be less likely to have emotional and behavioral problems. For moms and breastfeeding parents, the advantages of breastfeeding for six months include a lower risk of type 2 diabetes — even decades later. This benefit extends to birthing parents who experienced gestational diabetes with pregnancy too.
Nine months
Your breast milk has helped drive your baby’s physical development and continues to fuel them as they become more active and independent. Breastfeeding is also a great way to comfort your baby as they experience growth spurts, teething, and the occasional bump or bruise. If you return to work, spending this quality time with your little one when you return home encourages one-on-one bonding. Plus, establishing a routine gives you both a closeness to look forward to after a day of separation.
One year
If you’ve breastfed for one year, you have officially saved big bucks on formula — some estimates range from $1,500 to $3,000. Meeting the AAP recommendation of breastfeeding for up to two years means you’ve given your baby health benefits that will last a lifetime, including being less likely to become overweight later in life and having a lower risk of heart disease as an adult. Breastfed babies are also less likely to need orthodontia and speech therapy, because the oral mechanics of the nursing patterns particular to breastfeeding lead to greater oral development. It also influences the airway and shape of the roof of the mouth or palate.
For lactating parents, 12 cumulative months of breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer. However, the benefits double for parents with a lifetime total of two years of breastfeeding. Recent studies have found that breastfeeding also lowers a mother or breastfeeding parent’s risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease, which reduces the risk for stroke and heart attack.
The benefits of breast milk extend beyond the first year. Of course, it’s up to you how long you want to breastfeed — one month, one year, or more. The key is to wean when you and your baby are ready.
This timeline is not supposed to serve as a guilt trip or put any extra pressure on new parents (we have enough of that!). It’s meant to give you a sense of why health care professionals and global health organizations recommend breastfeeding for at least two years. Breastfeeding your infant provides unique benefits that other sources of nutrition can’t replicate — for both parent and child. You don’t have to nurse your baby to raise a happy, healthy human or build a successful bond with them. But if you want to, you deserve to have help, care, and support so that you’re empowered to meet your feeding goals. Ask for help from a lactation consultant when you need it, and remember to take care of yourself.
Looking for more support throughout your entire breastfeeding journey? Book a lactation consultation through insurance, and connect with an IBCLC who can help you every step of the way.
We’re here for you, every step of the way. We work with your insurance to provide in-home, in-office, or telehealth visits with an IBCLC.
