The nutritionist me is well aware of the fact that food is medicine but until I actually cared to find out, I had no idea of the incredibly mind-blowing dynamics of breast milk. Yeah, breast milk contains all the nutritional components like sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, vitamins A, C, and E, DHA (an omega-3) and AA (an omega-6) that baby needs, as well as the perfect ratio of protein, fat, and carbohydrates including specific oligosaccharides (sugars) unique to humans that only exist to feed the microbes within the infant’s digestive systems to digest food.
But breast milk is much, much more than just free food for baby and their microbes! It also provides immunological components and a complex communication pathway between mama and baby. When the baby feeds from the breast, a vacuum is created where mammary gland receptors in the mother’s breast detect information about the baby’s immune status within their saliva. The breast milk is then adjusted to respond to whatever the baby needs. If there’s a presence of pathogens, antibodies are produced for the baby to fight infection. If the baby is thirsty, the breast milk adjusts its water content. And hormones! Depending on the time of day, breast milk adjusts its hormones and amino acid content to induce sleep. Metabolism-regulating hormones reduce their risk of obesity and developing type 2 diabetes later in life, and the release of the hormone oxytocin when the baby suckles creates an incomparable sense of connection between mama and baby. 
I will admit, my experience with breastfeeding at first was extremely frustrating, exhausting, and more painful than my birth experience itself. Of all the preparation I did, learning to breastfeed was not a task that I thought would be necessary. For anyone who is as determined to breastfeed as I was because of all of the benefits, I highly recommend seeing a professional lactation consultant even if they think they’ll be fine. It’s so much harder than it looks and although I realize is not possible for everyone, I applaud those who can and do!