lots of reasons that breastfeeding far outshines artificial feeding

breastfeeding releases oxytocin in the mother, which promotes bonding (this is the same hormone released when you fall in love!), increases maternal behavior and helps the uterus return to its normal size after birth.  the uterus of a non-breastfeeding mother will never return to normal, it will always remain slightly enlarged.

breastfeeding calms the baby. feeding from a bottle increases a baby's blood pressure, while breastfeeding decreases it.

breastfed babies are less likely to die before their third birthday.

breast milk has perfectly balanced nutrition to meet baby's needs.  artificial milk, on the other hand, is constantly being tweaked by scientists to match breast milk.  but it is never as good.


breast milk is always the right temperature and easily transported.  there were multiple times with our foster baby girl that i would accidentally leave the house without formula or a bottle... not fun.

breast milk is more digestible than formula.  most formula is made from one of the two most highly allergenic foods: cow's milk and soy.  lots of artificially fed babies have to be switched from one formula to another until one is found that they can digest.

breastfeeding lowers the mother's chance of breast cancer, postpartum hemorrhage, and ovarian cancer.

breast milk changes with baby's needs.  the milk the mother of a preterm baby produces differs from the milk the mother of a full term baby produces.  the milk a mother produces in the morning is different than the milk she produces at night.  the milk she produces when baby is two weeks old differs from the milk she produces when baby is six months old.


artificial milk increases a baby's risk for obesity, type 1 and type 2 diabetes later in life.

artificially fed babies are at higher risk for allergies, asthma, ear infections, SIDS, bacterial meningitis, respiratory infections, childhood lymphoma, hodgkins disease, ulcerative colitis, crohn's disease, cavities, speech impediments, eczema, multiple sclerosis, urinary tract infections and breast cancer (in baby girls).

...which is probably why artificially fed babies require about $1,500 more of medical care in their first year of life.  breastfed babies require fewer doctor's visits, and their parents have to take fewer days off of work.

and add to that another $1,500: the approximate cost of formula per year.  double this cost if baby needs a specialty formula.  about $500 million of our tax dollars every year go to feeding formula to low-income babies (through the WIC program).  breast milk, on the other hand, is free.

breastfeeding is more friendly to the environment.  no packaging, wrappers, bottles to sterilize daily, etc.

artificial milk contains GMO's (genetically modified organisms) and artificial growth hormones.

breastmilk has natural healing properties that can heal wounds faster, and cure eye infections when applied topically.  personally, i can attest that breast milk cleared up esther's clogged tear duct soon after she was born.  no need to use the OTC medicine the doctor prescribed.  yay!


no need to rinse the cloth diapers of exclusively breast fed babies.  anything that saves me time is a plus!  and the diapers are less smelly.

sources:
promom
dr. jack newman's guide to breastfeeding