Alanis Morisette Celebrates World Breastfeeding Week: Benefits of Breastfeeding

World Breastfeeding Week, celebrated from August 1 to August 7, is seeing a lot of support from celebrities. Alanis Morissette, Canadian singer, on August 2, posted a photo of her breastfeeding her three-year old son on Instagram and her website.

She posted the picture along with the caption "family on tour ;) europe 2012 #worldbreastfeedingweek #isupportyou @msjamielynne #everlovedhischakraglasses @jaygordonmdfaap". Even in the past, Alanis has shown her support for breastfeeding and wrote about her beliefs on it for The Huffington Post.

Another celebrity who posted a photo on Instagram of her breastfeeding her son is Gwen Stefani. In 2007, while on tour, she was photographed breastfeeding Kingston, her son. She said that she doesn't know when she will stop breastfeeding. Her son had started getting teeth and had bitten her a few times. The singer is also just one of the many celebrity moms who have shared breastfeeding photos or otherwise supported nursing in the past.

Breastfeeding is beneficial for both the mother and the baby. It is a special gift for the two and strengthens their bond by increasing closeness and comfort.

For the baby, it is the best food as it contains vitamins and nutrients that help the baby digest better in comparison to those nutrients in formula. It is the perfect combination of protein, fat and carbohydrates that is essential for the toddler. It provides the child with development and nutritional needs which is important for the growth of the baby.

Also, kids who are breastfed have a lower chance of being affected by diseases like childhood diabetes, obesity, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and cancer and also have a lower risk of tooth decay.

According to research, breastfed children seemes to score higher on intelligence tests. It is being said that those children who are breastfed for longer and more exclusively, become more intelligent when they grow up.

The mother too enjoys a lot of benefits like having a lower risk for breast cancer, ovarian cancer and anaemia. It also helps the moms to lose pregnancy weight faster. Breastfeeding, done exclusively, can help delay fertility, in turn avoiding early pregnancy. It also releases feel good hormones, that helps lower risk of postpartum depression.

Dr. Maya Prabhakaran, a specialist paediatrician from Dubai, said that breast milk benefits the immune system which includes antibodies, immune factors, enzymes and white blood cells of the baby which provides the baby protection from diseases and infections.