Breastfeeding provides ideal nutrition and promotes bonding between mother and baby.

Compared to when babies are not breastfed,

  1. Breastfed babies are sick less often.
  2. Breastfed babies have fewer ear infections.
  3. Breastfeeding protects babies from respiratory (lung) infections.
  4. Breastfeeding results in fewer sick days for parents who work.
  5. Breastfed babies have a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
  6. Breastfeeding is linked to lower risk for developing certain childhood cancers (leukemias)
  7. Breastfed babies are less likely to develop asthma.
  8. Breastfed babies are at less risk for obesity and diabetes later in life.
  9. Breastfeeding is linked to a lower risk of diabetes, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer among mothers.
  10. Mothers who breastfeed tend to be at lower risk for postpartum depression.

Tennessee Breastfeeding Hotline

TN Breastfeeding Hotline: 855 4 B F Moms

This project is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee. This publication was supported by the Cooperative Agreement number CDC-RFA-DP13-1305, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC or the DHHS.