Breastfeeding has many benefits. Breast milk contains the right balance of nutrients for your baby. Breast milk is easier than commercial formula for babies to digest, and the antibodies in breast milk boost a baby's immune system. Breastfeeding might even help a new mother lose weight after the baby is born.

But breastfeeding can be challenging.

New parents may worry about whether their child is getting enough milk and wonder how often they should breastfeed. And mothers may wonder how their diet affects their breast milk.

New parents shouldn't be afraid to ask for help.

Maternity nurses or a hospital lactation consultants can offer breastfeeding tips, starting with how to position the baby and how to make sure he or she is latching on correctly. Your health care provider, or your baby's health care provider, might offer breastfeeding tips, too.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Angela Mattke, a Mayo Clinic pediatrician and host of Ask The Mayo Mom, discusses breastfeeding tips with Dr. Leslie Kummer, a Mayo Clinic pediatrician.

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More breastfeeding resources:

• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Breastfeeding Support
• La Leche League International
• National Association of Professional and Peer Lactation Supporters of Color (NAPPLSC)
• Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA)
• Achieving an Effective Latch: Global Health Media’s “Attaching Your Baby at the Breast” video

For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

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