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Starting Your Baby Off with the Right Nutrition

July 27, 2005

For expectant parents, how to feed their newborn is a major decision.

Breast feeding provides the nutrition that nature designed specifically for your baby - and in the right amounts. In addition, the first six to eight weeks of breast feeding provide antibodies that help the infant build a strong immune system.

Learning how to breast feed and feeling comfortable with it may take time. A little patience and encouragement can go a long way to successful breast feeding.

While breast feeding is the ideal choice for the nutritional health and immune system of infants, the choice of feeding a newborn is very personal and every mother should make the choice that is best for her and her baby.

A registered dietitian or lactation consultant can help answer your questions about breast feeding.

Produced by ADA’s Public Relations Team