Breastfeeding: 10 Very Cool and Quirky Facts

There are some pretty incredible facts when it comes to the nutritional benefits of breastfeeding.

But what about all the other amazing and interesting stuff? Like the fact that most mums produce more milk in their right breast – regardless of whether they’re left or right-handed.

Basking in the glory of the boob, we bring you 10 cool and surprising breastfeeding facts you might not have known already…

1. Producing breast milk consumes 25 per cent of the body’s energy, compared to the brain which uses 20 per cent.
2. Newborn babies have a strong sense of smell and know the unique scent of their mum’s breast milk.
3. Almost 75 per cent of all mums make more milk in their right breast, regardless of whether they are right or left-handed.
4. The amount of breast milk a mum produces has nothing to do with her breast size. Bigger is not necessarily better.
5. On average, babies remove 67 per cent of a mum’s available milk. This is because they eat until full, not until the breast is emptied.
6. A mum’s breasts can detect even a one-degree increase in their baby’s body temperature, and adjust accordingly to heat up or cool down their little one.
7. It takes, on average, 1,000 calories a day to produce breast milk. Women are advised to consume an extra 500 calories a day, and the body dips into reserves it made in pregnancy to make the rest.
8. Breastfed babies can’t overeat. Breastfeeding encourages a normal weight gain in babies and helps reduce obesity.
9. Breast milk comes out of several holes, not just one. The exact number varies from mum to mum.
10. Babies who are held skin-to-skin within the first couple of hours after birth can sometimes push their way towards their mum’s breast to start feeding on their own. Amazing.