Breastfeeding

Babies were born to breastfeed, and your body is designed for it. It’s one of the best things you can do for your baby. Why?

• Breastfeeding gives your baby a healthy start.
• Cells, hormones and antibodies in breast milk help protect babies from illness.
• Breastfeeding also helps a mother’s health and healing following childbirth and leads to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, certain types of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
• Breastfeeding saves lives. Research shows that if 90% of families breastfed exclusively for six months, nearly 1,000 infant deaths could be prevented each year.
• Breastfeeding saves money, from the savings of purchasing formula to lower medical costs for breastfed infants.
• Breastfeeding is better for the environment because formula cans, bottles and supplies create plastic waste.

Willis Knighton helps you and your baby learn to breastfeed. We were the first Louisiana hospital to earn GIFT (Guided Infant Feeding Techniques) certification from the Louisiana Maternal and Child Health Coalition. We’ve been recognized for our efforts to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.