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Pros And Cons Of Breastfeeding

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The debate between breastfeeding vs formula feeding can get ugly. While both of these methods are typically optional and determined by the mother, if one were to bring this subject up in front of ten different mothers and things could get quite tense and heated. I believe that this subject is one of the most controversial topics in modern day parenting. Over time, numerous studies have been conducted on the pros and cons of both breastfeeding and formula feeding. Breastfeeding, yes because it has many benefits and helps with mother-infant bonding or no because it tends to not be the “most attractive option”? Seaneed Sloan, a research assistant at The Institute of Child Care Research, wrote an article “Breast is Best?” based on a study that …show more content…

There are many barriers to breastfeeding and it is not always possible for mothers to breastfeed their child. The authors describe that there are many different benefits of breastfeeding to mother and infant; these benefits have been well documented over time. Breastfeeding has shown to improve the child’s overall health, reduce health inequalities, reduce risk of childhood illnesses (respiratory illness, asthma, and wheeze), diarrheal disease, atopic disease and also, gastrointestinal illness. More recently, breastfeeding has been implicated as having a protective effect against the development of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and obesity (Sloan, Sneddon, Stewart & Iwaniec, 2006). Breastfeeding also allows skin-to-skin contact which promotes bonding and soothing. Evidence shows that breastfeeding can result in many benefits for cognitive development in early and middle childhood. Mortensen, Michaelson, Sanders, and Reinisch (2002) found an association between breastfeeding and intelligence in adulthood, independent of confounding factors including education and socio-economic status. Breastmilk is said to contain certain chemicals that help stimulate brain …show more content…

for giving a newborn proper nutrition. However, in many countries, the percentages of women who do not breastfeed their babies have remained high. A research study done by Hamlyn et al. (2000) showed that exactly 30% of new mothers in the countries of England and Wales fed their babies formula milk from birth and by around 6-10 weeks exactly 58% of the mothers used formula solely. Formula milk use continues to be an important part of British women’s experience of feeding their babies (Lee, 2007). A study was then conducted between 503 women about how they felt about their feeding choices towards their babies; who were aged 0-6 months. Each woman had fed their baby formula milk by the time of the interview. Results showed that 76% of the women were “pleased to find a solution that made things easier for them”, 88% stated that they were simply “relieved that the baby was being fed”. Some women claimed they found breastfeeding to be exhausting, others said they were happy to formula feed because they were able to share the task of infant feeding with others. Some women proposed that ‘pleasure’ was ultimately related with formula use, and it was fathers’ participation that was mostly highlighted in this regard. Lee (2007) stated “the most joyful accounts were where women discussed their partners feeding the baby.” A mother named Tracey who participated in the study explained that, “We were literally doing half and half in the

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