Breast-Feeding Helps Mothers and Children

There's nothing like breast-feeding to put kids on the path to good health.

Breast milk offers many benefits -- and some of them may surprise you:

Breast-fed children are 20 percent less likely to become overweight adolescents than formula-fed infants, Massachusetts researchers recently wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Breast milk offers building blocks of brain and nerve tissue that don't always show up in formula. Formula also can't offer other protective agents that can help head off a wide range of problems.  Among them: diarrhea, upper respiratory and ear infections, asthma, type 1 diabetes and allergies.

Mom wins, too

Women who nurse are less likely to get breast and other female cancers. Breast-feeding helps you lose the pounds you put on during pregnancy. And breast-feeding spurs hormones that help cut stress.

Tips for moms who work

Carol Huotari, a lactation consultant manager for the La Leche League (a breast-feeding advocacy group), offers these tips:

• Start the day with a long nursing session so your baby is content during the morning rush.

• Find a caregiver near work so you can visit and nurse during your lunch break.

• Buy a reliable, comfortable breast pump.

• Tell your employer about breast-feeding's benefits. A healthier baby means you miss less work.

• Start to pump before you head back to work, and store the milk in the freezer. You'll feel better with a back-up supply.