Breastfeeding provides an infant with essential calories, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients for optimal growth, health, and development. Breastfeeding is beneficial to both a mother and her infant and also offers an important opportunity for the pair to bond. The NICHD supports many areas of breastfeeding research, including studies of the benefits of breastfeeding and breast milk, the social and cultural impacts of breastfeeding, and the nutritional components and mechanisms of disease related to breastfeeding and breast milk.
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Common Names
- Breastfeeding
- Nursing
- Suckling
Medical or Scientific Name