Breastfeeding Benefits: From Cradle to Community

Written by Dr. Debra Diepenbrock, WWH Pediatrician

When preparing for the birth of a new baby, every parent is faced with a multitude of choices: whether to feed breast milk or formula, which car seat to use, where baby will sleep, and whether to vaccinate, among many others. In honor of August being National Breastfeeding Month, this article will discuss the benefits of breastfeeding – for infants, breastfeeding parents, and globally.

While formula is a nutritionally complete option that many parents choose for a variety of reasons, there are many benefits of breast milk that cannot be accomplished with formula. These benefits are present both for the breastfeeding parent as well as the infant.

Benefits to the infant include both short-term and long-term benefits. Some short-term benefits are related to early skin to skin contact, including better blood sugar levels, decreased crying, decreased stress during painful procedures, and even better heart rate and breathing in late preterm infants1. Others are due to the actual components of breast milk, including the transfer of maternal antibodies to help fight off illnesses (ranging from stomach bugs to respiratory infections like RSV or COVID-19, as well as ear infections and urinary tract infections)2-5. Breastfeeding even reduces risk of death from multiple causes, including SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)6! In the long-term, breastfeeding has shown some evidence that it can help protect against inflammatory bowel disease, cavities, asthma, and type 1 diabetes. It may also reduce the risk for the infant to develop conditions like allergies, obesity, celiac disease, type 2 diabetes, and even leukemia in the future7,8.

Benefits to the breastfeeding parent are also present both immediately and in the long term. Immediate benefits include reduced risk of postpartum blood loss, delaying the return of the menstrual cycle post-partum, and some studies say that it may decrease risk for postpartum depression and help with postpartum weight change9,10. The long-term effects are quite impressive, including decreasing the risk for certain types of cancer, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and endometrial cancer2. Breastfeeding can also decrease the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes11,12.

There are also economic benefits, both to the family and to society as a whole. When breastfeeding, the family does not have to purchase infant formula, which can be quite pricey. The cost for formula alone for the first year of life easily exceeds $1200 for even generic formulas, and name-brand formulas are more expensive, costing up to $2500-$3000 for their standard formulas, or more if specialty formulas are used, whether for common concerns like reflux or gas or for medical concerns like prematurity, allergies, or kidney issues. Infant bottles and nipples convey an additional cost as well. The global impacts of optimal breastfeeding (exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months and continued breastfeeding until at least 2 years of age) would be dramatic, including nearly 600,000 fewer deaths per year of children from 6 months to 5 years old due to diarrhea and pneumonia11! Optimal breastfeeding could also prevent nearly 1 million cases of childhood obesity each year, as well as nearly 100,000 maternal deaths due to breast and ovarian cancer and type 2 diabetes11,12. In addition to the dramatic decrease in child and maternal deaths, it could save nearly $350 billion each year on health costs globally by preventing millions of cases of infectious or chronic illnesses11.

Many of these benefits exist whether the parents opt for direct breastfeeding or chooses to bottle-feed expressed breast milk. Some of the economic benefits are less notable if bottle-feeding expressed breast milk as costs including bottles, nipples, and a breast pump are incurred in that situation. However, many of the health benefits remain (though it is slightly less effective at preventing infections including ear infections), and this is a good option for many breastfeeding parents for a variety of reasons, including allowing for other caregivers to feed the infant so the breastfeeding parent can sleep or allowing the breastfeeding parent to return to work.

Western Wisconsin Health is proud to offer support to breastfeeding parents in the form of lactation services. We have four experienced lactation consultants who see breastfeeding dyads (parent/infant) every weekday, offering plenty of opportunities for assistance with any concerns that may arise with breastfeeding, from poor latch to concerns about supply, pumping, and beyond. Lactation services may be accessed by scheduling an appointment online at www.wwhealth.org/appointments/, reaching out to our Women’s Health Care Coordinator, Kayla Lombard, at kayla.lombard@wwhealth.org, or calling our lactation line at 715-684-1458. We also offer a free support group, called The Lactation Circle, which meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at the WWH Fitness Center playroom from 10am-noon.

At Western Wisconsin Health, we understand that every family’s feeding journey is unique, and we are here to support it. Our experienced team of lactation consultants provides compassionate, expert care to help guide breastfeeding parents through every stage, whether they’re nursing directly or bottle-feeding expressed milk. As your local partner in wellness, Western Wisconsin Health is proud to champion healthier beginnings, because when we support families from the very first days, we build a stronger, healthier community for everyone.

Sources: 

  1. Shah PS, Torgalkar R, Shah VS. Breastfeeding or Breast Milk for Procedural Pain in Neonates. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023;8:CD004950. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37643989
  1. Meek JY, Noble L. Technical Report: Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk. Pediatrics. 2022;150(1):e2022057989. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-lookup/doi/10.1542/peds.2022-057989
  1. Ganbold G, Farnaz N, Scutts T, Borg B, Mihrshahi S. The Association Between Exclusive Breastfeeding and Diarrhoea Morbidity in Infants Aged 0-6 Months: A Rapid Review and Meta-Analysis. Matern Child Nutr. 2025;21(3):e70042. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40265740
  1. Vassilopoulou E, Agostoni C, Feketea G, et al. The Role of Breastfeeding in Acute Respiratory Infections in Infancy. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2024;43(11):1090-1099. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38986006
  1. Frank NM, Lynch KF, Uusitalo U, et al. The Relationship Between Breastfeeding and Reported Respiratory and Gastrointestinal Infection Rates in Young Children. BMC Pediatr. 2019;19(1):339. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31533753
  1. Hauck FR, Thompson JM, Tanabe KO, Moon RY, Vennemann MM. Breastfeeding and Reduced Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis. Pediatrics. 2011;128(1):103-10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21669892
  1. Patnode CD, Henrikson NB, Webber EM, et al. Breastfeeding and Health Outcomes for Infants and Children: A Systematic Review. Pediatrics. 2025;156(1):e2025071516. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40240318
  1. Hummel S, Weiß A, Bonifacio E, et al. Associations of Breastfeeding With Childhood Autoimmunity, Allergies, and Overweight: The TEDDY Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(1):134-142. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33831944
  1. Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nursing. Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk. Nursing for Women’s Health. 2021;25(5):e4-e8. doi:10.1016/j.nwh.2021.06.005.
  1. Chowdhury R, Sinha B, Sankar MJ, et al. Breastfeeding and Maternal Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Acta Paediatr. 2015;104(467):96-113. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26172878
  1. Parikh NI, Gonzalez JM, Anderson CAM, et al. Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Unique Opportunities for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2021;143(18):e902-e916. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000961?url<em>ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr</em>id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr<em>dat=cr</em>pub%20%200pubmed
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  1. Walters DD, Phan LTH, Mathisen R. The Cost of Not Breastfeeding: Global Results From a New Tool. Health Policy Plan. 2019;34(6):407-417. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31236559
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