Good for baby

• May reduce risk of becoming overweight or obese later in life
• May increase protection against many illnesses and infections
• May increase protection against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
• Helps prevent constipation
• Decreases the risk of digestive diseases, such as Crohn’s disease and colitis
• Promotes proper jaw and tooth development
• Promotes healthy brain development
• May reduce the risk of allergies

Good for you

• Helps your uterus to return to its normal size after birth
• Helps to control bleeding after birth
• Helps to protect against breasts and ovarian cancer
• Helps protect against osteoporosis
• Helps you return to a healthy body weight after birth
• Slows down the return of your period

Good for baby and you

• Builds healthy relationships for life
• Promotes skin-to-skin closeness and touching with baby
• Promotes bonding between you and your baby
• Satisfies both you and your baby’s emotional needs

Convenient and environmentally friendly

• Always fresh, available at anytime and at the right temperature
• Saves money as commercial milk formula can be expensive (see Breastfeeding section)
• Saves time—no need to prepare formula or bottles
• Environmentally-friendly —no formula and bottle packages to throw out

Health Canada recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first 6 months of your baby’s life. At about 6 months you can start introducing solid foods (“complementary foods”), while continuing to breastfeed for up to 2 years and beyond.