Breast feeding has the following advantages:

1. The mother's milk provides ideal nutrition to the newborn.

2. The first milk produced by the mother is thick and yellow and is referred to as 'colostrum'. It is highly nutritive and contains essential antibodies like IgA for the child's immune system to develop.

3. Continued breastfeeding also pauses menstruation and ovulation (lactational amenorrhea). Suspension of menstrual cycle during lactational period is the nature's way of ensuring gap between consecutive pregnancies.