World Breastfeeding Week

It’s World Breastfeeding Week and at Great Ormond Street Hospital we are working together to Empower Parents and Enable Breastfeeding. We are promoting the benefits of breastfeeding for babies and mums.

We recognise not every parent is able to breast feed and many of our families at the hospital need support with feeding their children due to complex conditions and hospitalisation. We encourage everyone to be understanding about parents' choices and circumstances around feeding their child!

Helps new mum's womb return to normal size and lessens the risk of bleeding due to hormones released during breastfeeding
Helps decrease the risks of breast cancer due to hormones released during breastfeeding
Helps burn calories (it takes more calories to breastfeed then grow a baby!)
Helps reduce the risk of depression as breastfeeding releases oxytocin (the “love hormone”) and prolactin which help to reduce stress
Helps reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Breastfed babies have a lower incidence of gastroenteritis due to antibodies in mum's milk and the cross-contamination risk involved in bottle feeding
Breastfed babies are less likely to be obese or to suffer from type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Researchers believe this because breastfed babies do not receive cow’s milk proteins as early as their bottle fed counterparts.
Breastfed babies get sick less and have a lower risk of allergies due to the antibodies that they receive from their mother’s breastmilk.
Breastfed babies have optimal oral development because of their jaw movements and because nutrients in breastmilk help prevent tooth decay.
Breastfed babies are less likely to suffer from digestive diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. This is probably because babies digest breastmilk more easily than formula milk and this places less stress on their developing digestive systems.
Breastfed babies respond better to immunisations for polio, tetanus and diphtheria. Researchers believe that this is because breastmilk helps to counteract the production of inflammation-promoting proteins that are released in the baby’s body following immunisation.
Breastfed babies are less likely to suffer from ear infection. It is believed that this is because the different suckling motion of breastfed and bottlefed babies.

There are several UK charities that are set up to support new mums and babies, which have more information about breastfeeding.

We are not responsible for content or advice found on any external websites, and these links are not an endorsement of the advice or information found on these sites.

Learn more about the benefits of breastfeeding below!