Forget Wheaties! Want your babies to grow up to be super star athletes? Feed them breast milk!
Michael Jordan, arguably the best basketball player of all time, was breastfed until the age of 3. His mom credits the nursing, saying, "I feel this is why he is the athlete he is."
Brazilian soccer star Pele was breastfed until he was 5!
British football phenom Theo Walcott's mom claims his talent and speed on the pitch is due to his being breastfed. His mother, a midwife, says, "I always like to claim that Theo’s speed, coordination and eyesight and all those things are down to being breastfed. I like to think it has set him up for life."
Lots of super star athletes also go on to breastfeed their children because it is part of a healthy lifestyle and helps mom get back in shape quickly.
Olympic Gold Medalist Dara Torres quickly got back in the pool after giving birth to her daughter Tessa in 2006. During the Olympic trials, she was literally breastfeeding in between events.
USC's Brynn Cameron was still breastfeeding son Cole at 13 months. During a break in a game, WNBA star Lisa Leslie came over, locked arms with Brynn, asked, "Are you still breastfeeding?’"and initiated a chat about it. Laughs Brynn,"We’re probably the only two basketball players in America in the middle of that right now."
In her autobiography, Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You, Lisa Leslie discussed how much she looked forward to nursing daughter Lauren.
Professional volleyball player and model Gabrielle Reece did an interview with the Celebrity Baby Blog where she discussed the physical, mental and emotional benefits of breastfeeding to both mom and baby.
WNBA player Sheryl Swoopes breastfed her son Jordan for 7 months, even with a rigorous schedule of training and traveling for games. "The first two weeks were very hard, but after that it was great," she recalls.
And professional boxer Laila Ali, who gave birth to son Curtis Jr. in September 2008 says, "There are so many health benefits for babies who are nursed and I can’t imagine not taking advantage of the custom made supply that God gave me for my child. This boy is going to be an athlete, definitely!"