Maternal Breastfeeding Education Paper

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.

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).

Every year, approximately 4 million babies are born in the United States. This means that every year, approximately 8 million breasts are swollen with Mother Nature's own ambrosia, ready to start our children down the path to a healthy and well-adjusted life. Having a child is the most natural thing in the world to most women. Breast feeding is the the most healthy food for a newborn child. It prevents a wide range of illnesses as well as helps the mother feel better after birth. So why not breastfeed your new born? Although many people believe that breast feeding puts undue stress on a new mother, ultimately, as a mother, you will be responsible for every single feeding that your child experiences. Sure, it is true that you can pump the

     There are many reasons to breast-feed, but the most important reasons have to do with the health of you and your child. Did you know that breast-feeding is possibly linked to reducing the risk of breast cancer that occurs before menopause (Eisenberg, Murkoff, and Hathaway 5) ? Nursing also helps a women recover after child birth. It is part of a natural cycle and will help your uterus go back to pre-pregnancy size.

Women in the work force have several things to contend with, like jobs not having a place for mom to pump, having adequate time for mom to spend pumping, and the stresses of being in the work force can cause lack of production alone. It took me until my third child to be able to exclusively breastfeed and having been a part of the work force for the first two I can attest the difficulties that come along with it. With my oldest was breastfed and I pumped at work. I had a place to pump, but the only times I was allowed to pump on my assigned breaks, which left little time for lunch or anything else. The increasing stress of the job reduced my milk, to which my doctor suggested supplements to help. After only four short months I completely lost the ability to breastfeed. In Brody’s article she mentions the emotional distress that mothers encounter when they are unsuccessful in breastfeeding their infants. I think this partly is due to the push by the campaigners to breastfeed only, or at least the first six months. Women after having babies are in recovery. As my OBGYN explained to me, women are reclaiming their bodies, their hormones are all out of whack and trying to return to some form of “normal”. This can be part of the increasing numbers of women with post-partum

Breastfeeding provides unique nutrients for the baby, protects from disease, has health benefits for the mother, and provides a unique bond between mother and baby.

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

Although it appears that breastmilk is the most beneficial way of feeding an infant but there are some negativies to breastfeeding. First of all, women must carefully watch their diet that breastfeed. Women who drink a lot of coffee or soda pop can make their baby more prone to irritability and restlessness. Women also have to be careful not to eat to much fish or drink to much alchol. A formula fed baby's mom doesn't have to worry about what she eats at all. Secondly, women suffering from HIVS and AIDS may make breast feedings unsafe. Medications they take can actually harm the baby. Finally, many women feel the "latch-on" to be uncomfortable. Pain is common within the first minute but some women find it uncomfortable throughout the whole feeding. This is a sign of infection and a mother would be advised to switch to formula feeding.

As a nurse, performing health assessment on a new born baby, I need to first of know the educational level or background of the mother of the new infant, either breastfeeding mother o feeling reluctant to breastfeed in order to know how to approach such mothers. Let me first of say this, there are some mothers that know that, breastfeeding is good for their babies, but they lack the details of the breastfeeding benefits. I will make sure that such a mother understands

Breastfeeding is when a woman feeds her child from her breast. Breastfeeding has been around since before the 15th century. In addition to strengthening the bond between a mother and her baby,

Throughout most of human history, breast milk has been the one food that infants have thrived on. Breastfeeding is recognized throughout the world as the preferred method of feeding infants due to its health benefits and nutritional quality. Recommendations by leading health organizations echo the importance of breastfeeding by setting forth guidelines.

“Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants; it is also an integral part of the reproductive process with important implications for the health of mothers” Statement taken from the world health organization publication on the nutrition of exclusive breastfeeding.

For thousands of years, breastfeeding has been the main source that women have had to feed their babies. In today’s society, however, breastfeeding has become a controversial issue due to the increased sexualization of the female body, especially women’s breasts. This same society has failed to consider the benefits that breastfeeding mothers offer to society and, most importantly, the benefits breastfeeding offers to children. It is important to consider and remember that breastfeeding is natural and nursing mothers should be free to nurse everywhere because it is their legal right, it is the first source of nutrition for their children, it eliminates excess waste in the environment, and it benefits society.

Any infant enters the world completely relying on their mother, whether it’s to provide security, comfort, or their first meal. Breastfeeding, although pretty self-explanatory, is the act of a woman feeding a baby with milk from her breast. It is recommended that a baby be breastfed for the first time within an hour of their birth and exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life (Belsky, 2012). However, there is a stigma attached to breastfeeding in some areas of the world, especially the United States, so a common alternative is formula. There are many benefits not only the infant can gain from being breastfed, but also benefits the mother can obtain from providing this nutrition for her child. This paper will discuss