Breastfeeding is best for your baby’s overall health and well-being. New research provides the strongest link yet between breastfeeding and reducing the risk of SIDS, but make sure to pay close attention to safe feeding and sleeping practices and be aware of the hidden dangers of falling asleep with your baby in an adult bed, sofa, chair or other unsafe place.

• If you can, give your baby only breast milk for at least the first six months
• Breastfeeding gives you lots of time to cuddle and bond with your baby
• Breastfeeding helps protect against many illnesses
• It’s OK to nurse your baby in bed, but when it’s time to go to sleep, place your baby in a separate, safe sleep area near your bed
• Once your baby is nursing well (usually 3-4 weeks) consider using a pacifier at naptime and nighttime to significantly reduce your baby’s risk of SIDS. Studies show that offering your baby a pacifier beginning at one month will not cause problems with breastfeeding

Many mothers who work outside the home find that breast pumps are an ideal way to express and save your milk so that your baby will not need to be supplemented with formula. There are many makes and models and most are very portable, making it easy to pump at work.

Resources:

• AAP’s Breastfeeding Support and Promotion Speakers Kit, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
• Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
• Breastfeeding: Best for Baby, Best for Mom, The National Women’s Health Information Center
• Breastfeeding: Ideal for Babies, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
• Department of Health & Human Services’s (HHS) Breastfeeding Portal
• International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA)

• Return to First & Second Trimester Tips.
• Return to Third Trimester Tips.
• Return to At the Hospital Tips.
• Return to The First Year Tips.

Last Updated: Jan 12, 2010