Breast milk is the best food for your baby as it is a complete food source containing all the
nutrients your baby needs. There are at least 400 different types of nutrients in breast milk
including hormones and disease-fighting compounds that are absent in infant milk formula.

Breast milk contains amino acids -- which are the building blocks of proteins as well as sugars
(lactose) and fats which are well balanced for your baby. The baby's intestinal tract is best aided
in its digestion by the vitamins, enzymes, and minerals found in breast milk.

Breast milk also contains infection-fighting antibodies from the mother, and breast-fed babies are
believed to be at a reduced risk for many acute and chronic infections early in life. The high
cholesterol content in breast milk also promotes brain growth and also helps build hormones,
vitamin D and intestinal bile. Perhaps the most amazing thing about breast milk is that its
nutritional make-up adjusts to your baby's needs as she grows and develops.

Another reason why breastfeeding is encouraged in the early months is because some formula-
fed babies develop an allergy to a particular formula. When a baby develops an allergy to
formula, she may become irritable, vomit or develop diarrhea and skin rash.

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