It is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to Breastfeed your child exclusively for 6 months and then continuing giving them breast milk for up to 1 year. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for at least two years. Both organizations boast the many health and emotional benefits for babies while breastfeeding, but even so, the numbers of breastfeeding mothers in the black community are still lagging behind other racial groups.
In my experience as a mother over the past few years, I have seen an uptick in black, millennial mothers wanting to breastfeed or pump their milk instead of just relying on manufactured milk, so there has been progression but we can do better as a group. If you are on the fence or needing a bit more supporting evidence for your decision to breastfeed or not, check out these 5 reasons to nursing that will benefit you as a mom.
Breastfeeding is Cheaper!
When you take into account the cost of baby formula, which can cost anywhere between $16-$35 a jug, baby water, and bottles, feeding a baby from infancy to 1 year old is expensive! The all natural and all free alternative to this is breastfeeding. Granted, some mothers are unable to breastfeed for medical reasons, but for