<P> Breastfeeding, also known as nursing, is the feeding of babies and young children with milk from a woman's breast . Health professionals recommend that breastfeeding begin within the first hour of a baby's life and continue as often and as much as the baby wants . During the first few weeks of life babies may nurse roughly every two to three hours and the duration of a feeding is usually ten to fifteen minutes on each breast . Older children feed less often . Mothers may pump milk so that it can be used later when breastfeeding is not possible . Breastfeeding has a number of benefits to both mother and baby, which infant formula lacks . </P> <P> Deaths of an estimated 820,000 children under the age of five could be prevented globally every year with increased breastfeeding . Breastfeeding decreases the risk of respiratory tract infections and diarrhea, both in developing and developed countries . Other benefits include lower risks of asthma, food allergies, type 1 diabetes, and leukemia . Breastfeeding may also improve cognitive development and decrease the risk of obesity in adulthood . Mothers may feel pressure to breastfeed, but in the developed world children generally grow up normally when bottle fed . </P>

What is a normal length of time to breastfeed