eating well during pregnancy, having regular prenatal check ups and following the advice of health care professionals, new mothers can assure their families get the best nutritional head-start by choosing to breastfeed their babies.

Human milk provides all the nutrients a baby needs in exactly the right proportions. Science has confirmed that human milk is all a baby needs to grow and thrive and is the only food needed for the full-term, healthy infant until about the middle of the first year.

Since it is made specifically for the human infant, mother's milk is more easily digested than a substance like infant formula that is made from cow's milk or soy products.

Protein, one of the most important nutrients in milk, varies greatly from one species to another. Foreign proteins can cause allergies, especially in very young infants.

The protein in human milk forms a smaller curd in the baby's stomach and is easier to digest than the cow's milk protein in infant formula.

Human infants don't need as much protein as a growing calf, which doubles its weight in two months, gaining as much as 65 pounds. Human infants, on the other hand, will not double their weight until five or six months of age, gaining only 7 to 9 pounds.

The protein in human milk contains all the amino acids in the right proportions necessary for the development of the baby's brain and nervous system.

Studies show that breastfed babies score significantly higher in IQ test at 7 and 8 years of age than formula-fed babies! The fat in human milk means high energy in the form of calories for the growth of infants and creates a reserve store of fuel.

The resulting layer of fat tissue blankets a baby against heat loss. It contributes to softer skin and firmer flesh than that of formula-fed babies.

The amount of fat in breast milk also varies from feeding to feeding and from week to week, meeting all the needs of the infant over a period of time.

The fat in human milk is optimal in the development of the brain and nervous system.

Mother's milk contains the correct balance of the sugar, lactose, as well, promoting the growth of a select group of bacteria in the intestine and thwarting the development of harmful bacteria that causes severe diarrhoea in the young.

Breast milk is the best and most balanced source of vitamins and minerals for infants. The iron in mother's milk, while low in quantity, is both adequate and well absorbed. Up to 50 percent of the iron in human milk is absorbed, while only four percent of the iron in formula is absorbed.

Since the full-term baby is born with iron reserves, the amount supplied by breast milk is sufficient until well into the second half of the first year, when solid food rich in iron can be introduced.

In addition to these nutritional advantages, breast milk is an important source of immunities. Antibodies are manufactured in human milk that protect the infant from germs and provide living cells that act against bacteria in the infant's stomach.

Breastfed babies have a lower incidence of allergies, respirator illnesses, diarrhoea, vomiting, ear infections, eczema, diaper rash and dental caries.

There is now evidence that breastfeeding could provide some protection against ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, lymphoma and other forms of cancer, diabetes, sudden infant death and malocclusion. Studies have also shown that women who breastfeed are at less risk of developing breast cancer.

Finally, it is worth noting that breastfeeding has great economic advantages.

Not only will money be saved on buying formula, bottles, etc. but the superior health of breastfed babies means fewer doctor visits, less trips to the pharmacy and fewer days missed at work to stay home with a sick child.

If you're wondering about the best way to provide your family with optimal nutrition, get off to a great start by choosing to breastfeed.

Information, encouragement and support for this decision can be provided by La Leche League of Bermuda, a registered charity which provided this article.

LA LECHE LEAGUE -- Steering Committee members with their families. From left Paul and Lynette Baker with Mathew, Steve and Suzanne Dunkerley with Elizabeth, Belinda Wellman, and Frank and Lori Tersigni with Alex and Benjamin.

BREASTFEEDING -- La Leche League leader Lori Tersigni with her son Benjamin, then six months.