How long to continue breastfeeding for is a personal decision for each family to make.

IF YOU BREASTFEED YOUR BABY FOR JUST A FEW DAYS, he will have received your colostrum, or early milk. By providing antibodies and the food his brand-new body expects, breastfeeding gives your baby his first — and easiest — ‘immunisation’ and helps get his digestive system working smoothly.

IF YOU BREASTFEED YOUR BABY FOR 4–6 WEEKS, you will have eased him through the most critical part of his infancy. Newborns who are not breastfed are much more likely to get sick or be hospitalised and have many more digestive problems than breastfed babies after 4–6 weeks.

IF YOU BREASTFEED YOUR BABY FOR 3–4 MONTHS, her digestive system will have matured a great deal and she will be much better able to tolerate the foreign substances in artificial baby milks. Giving nothing but your milk for the first 4 months protects against allergies.