Breastfeeding, sometimes called "nursing," can be a convenient and inexpensive way for a mother to feed her child. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Policy Statement on Breastfeeding, women who don't have health problems, like HIV, should exclusively breastfeed their infants for at least the first six months of life. AAP suggests that women try to breastfeed for the first 12 months of life because of the benefits to both mother and baby.

If a mother stops breastfeeding before the child is a year old, then she should feed her infant iron-fortified, commercially available formula. Health care providers advise women not to give their infants cow's milk until the child is at least a year old.

Some recent NICHD-supported research also suggests that breast milk contains important amino acids, protein building blocks, that help an infant's brain develop. For more information on these and other findings, read the Institute's news releases about breastfeeding.

For additional information on breastfeeding, visit http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Breastfeeding.cfm.