Every New Mother’s Decision Essay

As you get ready to welcome your baby and introduce her to this world, you are flooded with thoughts of how to take care of your little one in the best possible way. You find that motherhood is not only about loving and caring, it is also about making a few conscious decisions to help your child grow in a healthy manner. One such decision is whether to breastfeed your baby or to offer her formula nutrition.

Women in this world have a right to bear children and take care of them. As a new parent, there are millions of questions, worries, and decisions one deals with throughout the whole child's life. When a child is first born, a mother has to decide whether or not to breastfeed or formula feed. The nutrition a baby receives in the first months of life is what determines if the baby has a good or bad start. Women should breastfeed their children because breastfeeding boosts chances of success for their child, allows their baby to receive natural immunity from antibodies, mothers are less likely to develop diseases such as cancers or diabetes, and breastfeeding stimulates oxytocin to promote bonding between mother and child. Breastfeeding is the best choice for a baby.

It is shown that the longer the duration of breastfeeding, the less likely they are to develop these health issues (Godfrey, Lawrence 1598).

Breastfeeding protects babies against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), as well as sepsis in pre-term babies. Breast milk contains antibodies that help babies fight off infections like otitis media and respiratory problems like meningitis and bronchitis. It has been found to reduce the incidence and intensity of atopic diseases. Babies who breastfeed tend to suffer from colds less frequently and have fewer incidents of colic. (Davis)

Deciding whether to formula feed or breastfeed ones baby is one of the biggest and most crucial decisions expectant and new parents will make before giving birth. Organizations such as World Health Organizations (WHO), American Medical Association (AMA), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and American Dietetic Association recommend breastfeeding as the best option for the newborn. Most of these organizations and other supporters of breastfeeding affirm that it defends the baby against infection, reduces the risks of certain chronic conditions and prevents allergies. To decide if you want to bottle-feed or breastfeed one needs to do some research on both methods of feeding. Breastfeeding provides the best nutrition for a baby, but formula feeding a newborn can also produce a highly healthy, happy child. The decision to breastfeed or bottle-feed is up to the mother, her comfort level, her ability to produce milk, as well as her religion or culture.

A plethora of questions and concerns arise upon confirmation of pregnancy; however, the decision on whether to breastfeed or formula feed an infant seems to be one of the more crucial decisions. Moms new to nursing a baby need all the information that they can get in order to help choose which method of feeding is more suitable, because every mother wants what is best for their child. Unlike formula feeding, the benefits of breastfeeding are substantial for both mother and baby. Moreover, choosing to breastfeed will lead to brighter, happier, and healthier lives.

Breast milk is widely acknowledged as the complete form of nutrition for infants with a range of benefits for infants’ health, growth, immunity and development (Breastfeeding- Natural Is Best). All these factors can decrease Sudden Infant Death Syndrome(SIDS) and mortality. In serval meta-analyses babies that are breastfeed have a 36% decrease in the risk of SIDS. According to The Lives Saved Tool, an estimated 823,000 yearly deaths would be saved if breastfeeding was scaled up to universal levels. Disorders like necrotizing enterocolitis, that has a high case-fatality, showed a 58% decrease with breastfeeding (Victoria, Cesar G, et all.).

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

While mothers have the choice of what they would rather do with their child, the more healthier option would be to breastfeed. The breast milk from mothers contain a protein called lysosomes that help kill the bacteria the baby may have

Nutritionally, breastfeeding provides specific antibodies which help to prevent infant and childhood diseases. Diseases such as RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection) and Insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus are serious diseases in infants which can lead to death (Riordan 1997). Breastfeeding is a natural immunization for infants and mothers, decreasing risks such as pneumonia, SIDS, and childhood obesity in infants. Mothers decrease their risk for breast cancer, type 2 diabetes and weight gain (Stuebe 2009). Just as diseases can be immune from breast milk, breastmilk also aids in brain development. In “Breastfeeding benefits babies’ brains”, Stacey states, “babies who had

The immediate health, wellbeing and survival of babies is affected by breastfeeding and thus impacts our public health system (Pairman et al., 2015). Risk of morbidity and mortality due to infectious disease is lower among exclusively breastfed babies compared with partially breastfed babies (Kramer & Kakuman, 2012). If breastfed, about half of all diarrhoea episodes and a third of respiratory infections would be avoided (Victora et al., 2016) thus protecting against hospital admissions (Victora et al., 2016; UNICEF, 2005). Breast milk is also associated with a reduction in asthma (Oddy, 2013; Victora et al., 2016), protection against otitis media (Victora et al., 2016), and childhood lymphomas (Guise et al., 2005). Due to the presence of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in breastmilk, studies have gathered that breastfeeding can also improve brain development, growth and levels of intelligence quotient (Victora et al., 2016; Huffman et al., 2011). Additionally, the prevalence of obesity

Respiratory illness is a common medical concern among infants because their lungs are still growing and affecting their development. A child’s immune system is under progress, consequently making respiratory infections common. Depending on the severity of an illness, respiratory distress can lead to hospitalization for problems such as bronchiolitis, asthma, or wheezes. With air pollution, sensitization to allergens, and exposure to bacteria continue to increase worldwide, the trend of diagnosing childhood respiratory disorders is on a rise. Research has been conducted that strongly recommends for infants to being breastfed during their early months of life. Breast milk contains immunities to fight against diseases and aids in the development

New parents have many decisions they have to make such as what hospital to deliver at, what items to purchase, and what doctor to monitor a little one’s growth. The biggest decision of all is choosing how to nourish your child. The two different ways to feed a child is from breast milk or formula. New mothers commonly do not know the outcome for children when they receive breast milk, which is why sharing the effects are beneficial. While using formula can still provide the nutrition a child needs, breast milk provides antibodies and leads to a healthy outcome for both the mother and child.

One of the biggest decisions young mothers have to make today is the choice of how and what their babies. Basically, when it comes down to it, there are only two choices, breastfeeding or bottle/formula feeding. Breast feeding is simply the baby sucking milk from the mother’s breasts, while formula feeding is manufactured food fed to the baby with a bottle. There are arguments for and against one or the other, but which is actually better? Below we will examine the pros and cons of both methods, in an effort to understand if one is truly better than the other.