The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to support the unequivocal evidence that breastfeeding protects against a variety of diseases and conditions.
Among the benefits of breastfeeding are:
-Children who are breastfed improve dental health and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
-Decreases the risk of otitis media, diarrhea, necrotizing enterocolitis, SIDS, atopic dermatitis, asthma, celiac disease, Chron’s disease and ulcerative colitis, late-onset sepsis in premature infants, diabetes type I and type II, leukemia, and childhood overweight and obesity.
There are also benefits for maternal health, such as decreased risk of breast, ovarian, endometrial, and thyroid cancer; hypertension, type II diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as decreased excessive menstrual blood loss.
The only true contradictions with breastfeeding are:
-Infants with classic galactosemia (galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase deficiency).
-Mothers in the United States who are infected with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus).
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. As of June 2022, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated its guidance on breastfeeding. The AAP continues to exclusively recommend it for up to six months, but now supports continuing to breastfeed for two years or more.
Dr. Robert Uriel has been practicing pediatrics for 36 years. https://southfloridapeds.com/