"There are many benefits to breastfeeding. Even if you are able to do it for only a short time, your baby's immune system can benefit from breast milk. Here are many other benefits of breast milk for a mother, her baby, and others:

BENEFITS FOR BABY:
Breast milk is the most complete form of nutrition for infants. A mother's milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein that is needed for a baby's growth and development. Most babies find it easier to digest breast milk than they do formula.

As a result, breastfed infants grow exactly the way they should. They tend to gain less unnecessary weight and to be leaner. This may result in being less overweight later in life.

Premature babies do better when breastfed compared to premature babies who are fed formula.

Breastfed babies score slightly higher on IQ tests, especially babies who were born pre-maturely.

BENEFITS FOR MOM:
Nursing uses up extra calories, making it easier to lose the pounds of pregnancy. It also helps the uterus to get back to its original size and lessens any bleeding a woman may have after giving birth.

Breastfeeding, especially exclusive breastfeeding (no supplementing with formula), delays the return of normal ovulation and menstrual cycles. (However, you should still talk with your doctor or nurse about birth control choices.)

Breastfeeding lowers the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, and possibly the risk of hip fractures and osteoporosis after menopause.

Breastfeeding makes your life easier. It saves time and money. You do not have to purchase, measure, and mix formula. There are no bottles to warm in the middle of the night!

A mother can give her baby immediate satisfaction by providing her breast milk when her baby is hungry.

Breastfeeding requires a mother to take some quiet relaxed time for herself and her baby.

Breastfeeding can help a mother to bond with her baby. Physical contact is important to newborns and can help them feel more secure, warm and comforted.

Breastfeeding mothers may have increased self-confidence and feelings of closeness and bonding with their infants.

BENEFITS FOR SOCIETY:
Breastfeeding saves on health care costs. Total medical care costs for the nation are lower for fully breastfed infants than never-breastfed infants since breastfed infants typically need fewer sick care visits, prescriptions, and hospitalizations.

Breastfeeding contributes to a more productive workforce. Breastfeeding mothers miss less work, as their infants are sick less often. Employer medical costs also are lower and employee productivity is higher.

Breastfeeding is better for our environment because there is less trash and plastic waste compared to that produced by formula cans and bottle supplies."

"Garner wed Ben Affleck in June 2005. Their daughter, Violet, will be 2 on Dec. 1.

'She's pretty awesome. We're in that sweet spot before the 'terrible twos,'' the 35-year-old actress says. 'We definitely wonder what it would be like to have another - hopefully, knock on wood, someday.'

Garner nursed Violet during the filming of 'The Kingdom,' co-starring Jamie Foxx, which opens in theaters Friday. Garner says she found herself staggered by the heat on the Arizona set.

'I checked with a pediatrician, I checked with my gynecologist,' she recalls, 'and they said, 'Breast-feeding? You'll be fine. Just drink plenty of water.' But the rules when it's 138 degrees are different. ... It sent me to the hospital a couple of times.'

'I guess I was getting heatstroke,' she says. 'All my electrolytes were going to the baby - I wasn't keeping any of the potassium in my body.'

'I made it through, though,' says Garner, who nursed Violet for 14 months. 'I really didn't want to give up, and I didn't.'"

Because they understand that breast feeding confers remarkable health advantages on both infants and their mothers, medical authorities around the world strongly endorse the practice.  Indeed, a new study in Acta Pediatrica acknowledges that "numerous health agencies currently recommend breastfeeding as the optimal method of infant feeding for at least 1 y[ear]."  Written by a team of researchers at Brown Medical School and Boston University School of Public Health, this recently published study examines the duration of breastfeeding among first-time American mothers-and finds notable differences separating married mothers from their unmarried peers.

Examining data from a national probability sample of 3,229 first-time U.S. mothers ages 15 to 44, the Brown and Boston scholars report that only 1,960 of these mothers (62%) even started breastfeeding of their infant children.  And unfortunately, only slightly over half (58%) of mothers who started breastfeeding were still breastfeeding at three months (23% of the entire sample).  Only a little more than a third (38%) of those who started breastfeeding continued this healthful practice for at least six months.  And only slightly over one-tenth (13%) of those who started breastfeeding continued to do so for a full year (6% of the entire sample).

Through further analysis of the data, the researchers identify which mothers are most likely to persist in the breastfeeding of their babies.  "Differences in proportions of women breastfeeding," write the analysts, "were most notable among women of different ages, marital status, and educational levels."  The researchers further conclude "these same demographic factors were associated with differences in breastfeeding rates both early (within the first week of life) and consistently over the first 3 mo[nths]." 

When the Brown and Boston team focuses specifically on the differences separating mothers who breastfeed for longer than three months and those who breastfeed for a shorter period, marital status emerges as a highly significant distinguishing characteristic (p = 0.002).  Compared to their unmarried peers, the married mothers in this study were decidedly more likely to breastfeed their babies over a sustained period. What is more, since the researchers regard their data set as "robust," they believe their "results should be generalizable to all first-time mothers in the US." 

It would appear that health officials trying to increase the number of mothers who breastfeed may need to look for ways to encourage wedlock as a vitally important form of prenatal care.