Imagine that you are a new mother and you are taking your baby out of the house for the first time. You decide to go eat lunch at a causal, family restaurant. You are sleep deprived, your hair is a mess, and your body doesn 't feel quite like it used to, but you have to get finally out of the house, even if it is just for lunch. Imagine that your baby suddenly starts crying, and you can feel the glances of the other diners.Your motherly instinct is telling you that your baby is hungry. After thinking it over, you decide to nurse your baby while sitting at the booth. Those glances turn to blatant stares. A problem that many mothers face is the judgement that comes along with breastfeeding their babies in public places. Although it isn 't discussed much, any mother who has nursed beyond the confinements of her own home has most likely received her fair share of disgruntled looks and not-so-discreet whispers. Breastfeeding is a natural part of life, which is why it should be more socially acceptable for women to nurse their babies in public without being scrutinized or sexualized by others. To start, it is a fact that breastfeeding is much more beneficial for babies as opposed to formula. Breast milk is natural and contains the nutrients that babies need to grow and develop. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, breastfed babies are less likely to develop conditions like respiratory tract infections, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, Lymphoma, Leukemia, and Hodgkins
The audience intended for this paper are mothers that have a desire to breastfeed, employers, clinicians, breastfeeding advocacy groups and federal and state legislators involved in policy change.
As I indicated earlier, women have been victimized for breastfeeding in public places. They have, therefore, been forced to resort to an alternative way of feeding their infants because the public would not have it. It has become harder for women to breastfeed although history has shown it that is something that has been practiced for a long time. On one hand, women want to be allowed to breastfeed whenever the child is hungry no matter the place; whereas, the public is not very accepting of this public display of care and affection between mother and infant. The medical community has indicated that it is important to breastfeed while the public wants the women not to do it where they can see it. They argue that exposing of the breasts is
Since the beginning of time women have breast fed their infants. Although modern science has developed infant formula, doctors and nurses still recommend women feed their infants breast milk. Breastfeeding increases bonding time between mother and baby and decreases cancer in women. It is hypothesized that breast milk significantly improves babies health and cognitive functioning. Breast feeding is frequently researched and there are multiple sources that cite its benefits.
The benefits outweigh the negative aspects of breast feeding your child. Breastfeeding is best for the mother and the child. It creates a lasting bond between mother and child. It also helps save you hundreds of dollars in the first year alone. It is also good for the environment, due to the fact that there is no waste product. Four million babies a year ready to start a happy, healthy, well adjusted life. That is a lot of mouths to feed it you have to pay for formula. So why not breast feed your new born child it is free and is what is best for the baby.
3- Breast milk is always ready and comes in a nicer package than formula does.
In the last few years, mothers breastfeeding in public areas has been a controversial issue. Breastfeeding mothers have received the stigma of society for showing their breasts while nursing. For some people, the breast is seen as something sexual, repugnant, and even offensive. Breastfeeding mothers should not be made to feel guilty, disgust or ashamed for nursing in public. Women should be allowed to breastfeed in public because it is the healthiest option for the infant, the most economical way to feed, and it is a natural process.
You might be wondering why you can’t receive the same benefits from formula and here’s why. It’s impossible for formula to compare to the complexity of breast milk. Your milk is custom-made just for your baby. Your body responds to pathogens that you are exposed to, and actually creates a substance in your milk to protect your baby from exposure. Pretty amazing huh? In one study, The National Institute of Environmental Sciences determined your baby will have a 20 percent less chance of dying in the first year of life if breastfed. Not only does breastfeeding protect your baby from developing illnesses in the early stages of life, but it will also help avoid diseases in the future. Breastfed babies are less likely to have diabetes, high cholesterol, and inflammatory bowel disease in their adult life. I know, as a parent, you want to do everything you can to protect your children from harm. After all, it doesn’t matter how old they get, they’ll always be your babies.
Whether to breastfeed or to formula feed is one of the many decisions parents have to make when caring for a newborn baby. The decision may seem simple in which parents base there decision on comfort, convenience and finance but little do most parents know the decision being made can have damaging long term effects than that of the present. There is plenty of research that state the significance of breastfeeding that go far beyond the extent of bonding between mother and newborn. Although, that too is important. Breast milk is known to contain antibodies which can help the newborn in developing a strong immune system which influence all the body systems. Research has shown that breast-milk can help prevent long term diseases such as
Breast-feeding is nutritionally, emotionally and physically superior for a mother and her child. “Human breast milk is not standard nor is it interchangeable with cow’s milk. It is a dynamic fluid that changes in composition to meet the needs of the baby as it grows” (“Giving your Baby... Diet.” par. #10). Breast milk contains growth factors and antibodies which stimulate the growing baby and protect it from illness such as diarrhea, ear infections, rashes, allergies, asthma, skin problems, pneumonia, respiratory illness and other serious illnesses. Breast-feeding also improves a baby’s chance of remaining healthy. These antibodies are not found in formula. They can not be sustained. Breast-fed babies are also neurodevelopmentally more
Being a first-time mom, you don’t always have time to do everything you did when you didn’t have a baby. Breastfeeding mother can sometimes feel overwhelmed because they don’t always want to feed in public or around others, this can make the flexibility a lot more difficult. Breastfeeding mothers also get nasty comments about feeding their child in public or around family and friends that don’t like
From the moment that a child is born, the parents need to make difficult decisions, but the one choice that should be clear is to breastfeed. The controversy issue between breastfeeding and formula feeding is causing parents to question themselves and really have to decide what the best choice is for the child. Breastfeeding has been shown to be superior over formula feeding for many reasons. Breastfeeding is the preferred choice physically, nutritionally and economically for the mother and child.
Because of all the healthy components to breast milk, there is significant research showing that children who are breastfed have reduction in diseases, healthier bodies and mouths, and long-term health benefits as well.
However, some people think of breastfeeding as Nudity. Breasts are viewed as sexual items rather than a natural way of providing nutrients and comfort for a child. Anxiety about breastfeeding in front of other people affects breastfeeding for women with low self-confidence or who feel society disapproves of breastfeeding in public. They start to feel uncomfortable. Women should be able to have rights to legally breastfeed their babies in public. Mothers report that that they felt more comfortable breastfeeding in a park than a shopping mall. In some cases, women are asked to leave the premise due to them breastfeeding. Parents do not want to explain to their children about breastfeeding. So, they label breastfeeding in public indecent. Parents who are concerned about their children asking questions should just explain to them. This will help people understand the benefits of breastfeeding.
According to The Equal Opportunity Act and the US Department of Labor, a mother should be able to breastfeed her child in public and in her place of work. Even when it is a protected right, public perception varies on the delicate issue of whether or not a nursing mother should meet the necessities of her child in a public place. If babies have the right to eat and people do not complain or judge when a baby is being bottle-fed in public, then mothers who choose to breast feed should have the same right. Many people are not well informed of the all the benefits that breastfeeding offers the child, mother, and, even the public.
The benefits listed above that affect a baby/toddler, up to two years old, physically include the lowered risk for ear infections, Sudden Infant Death syndrome, asthma and eczema, and a stronger immune system. Regarding middle ear infections, there was a study that compared infants that were only fed formula and infants breastfed only. The results showed that those who were formula-fed experienced a greater risk of about 70% for developing an ear infection (Scariati et al., 1997). SIDS is one of the more worrisome risks to watch out for with a new baby because it is still not completely understood how it occurs. With results supporting breast milk’s part in reducing the risk for SIDS, a case study looked into sixty-three unexpected infant deaths and separated them into one of three categories; nineteen infants suffered from SIDS,