Essay On Breastfeeding

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

However, nothing compares to what breast milk can provide for the baby. Breast-feeding is the absolute best choice as far as nutrition. Whereas, formula feeding offers more convenience, because the mother is not tied down. Ultimately, the decision is a personal one. Which is more important, nutrition or convenience? Breast-feeding not only offers the best nutrition for the baby, but also provides health benefits for the mother. For example, it promotes in returning the uterus to pre-pregnancy size, lowers risk of ovarian and breast cancer, and also helps mothers lose the baby weight. Not to mention, breast milk is free. Having more nutritional benefits, breast-feeding out-weighs the convenience of formula

health throughout life” (Klag, McNamara, Geraghty, & Keim, 2015, p. 1059) Although the process has been known to bring some complications and many attempts, the end result has been proven to be beneficial to not only the infant during that time but can be tracked in their life down the line. The decision to breast feed is a decision that will not only impact the child, but can also

In this article, “The Ideal and the Real of Breast-Feeding” by Jane E. Brody, Brody brings some good points to light. The campaign to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months in today’s society is becoming increasingly prevalent by health care providers, lactation consultants, and other organizations. Brody’s notable outlook on breastfeeding stems from her own personal experiences with her twin boys. The ever increasing numbers of reasons one should breastfeed and how important it is for the health of the child to continue to grow. As the textbook, “How Children Develop” by Robert Siegler, shows it is a natural life source. Mammals use breast milk as a source of nutrition for their young. Humans have become more reliant on formula feeding.

Dr Lawrence (2010) 1 said “ instead of promoting the tremendous benefits of breastfeeding to this population, the risks of formula feeding and the costs to health and the community of not breastfeeding will have to incorporated into persuading these women to do the best for their infants and themselves”.

An Integrative Review Rationale and Objectives Upon delivery of the newborn, the mother has the choice to breastfeed or formula feed. If the decision is made to breastfeed, there are various benefits for the mother and newborn. Benefits for the infant include a reduction in infection, obesity, diabetes, and allergic diseases (Darwent & Kempenaar, 2014). The breastfeeding mother is at a lower risk of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease (Ross-Cowdery, Lewis, Papic, Corbelli, & Schwarz, 2017). Breastfeeding is known to assist in infant growth and development and is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (Thomson, Tussing-Humphreys, Goodman, Landry, & Olender, 2017).

Breastfeeding passes on antibodies to the infant. This allows the infant to be immune to diseases at an earlier age. Babies who are breastfed are less likely to get an infection. Breast milk is an important factor to brain development because it contains the following compounds taurine amino acid DHA ,fatty acid. These advantages of breastmilk are way better than nurturing a baby with formula. Breast milk is more convenient because it is always available anywhere at any time. There is no need for any bottles or a microwave to heat up the milk. One of the most recognized advantage is that breastmilk is free and not expensive as formula. Another advantage of the mother breastfeeding the baby is that the baby is exposed to variety of different flavors from all the nutrients taken from food. The mother also benefits from breastfeeding because most of

According to World Health Organization (WHO, 2016), Breastfeeding is the standard and natural method of delivering young infants with the adequate nutrients that is needed and required for healthy growth and development. Breast milk is the best and optimal nutrition for infants, in which there are health benefits for both the infants, mothers, families and communities as whole. According to Rockville the (2011), most women in the United States are aware that, breastfeeding is the optimum source of nutrition for most infants, but lack of adequate knowledge and information about its detailed benefits and the risks associated with not breastfeeding.

Studies have shown that breastfeeding has numerous benefits for mother and baby, including reducing the risk of common childhood infection such as ear, respiratory and urinary tract infections in infants. The protective antibodies found in breast milk helps to combat common infections that often leads to missed days at work and translates into lost productivity. In addition, breastfeeding has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of obesity in breastfed children verse children that were not breastfed. Breastfeeding also helps to reduce the risk of certain types of cancers and osteoporosis in women that breastfeed. The current recommendation from the American Academy of

Breastfeeding provides many nutrients that the child needs in order to grow. Breast milk has many more nutrients to help a child’s immune system more effectively than formula milk (www.nrdc.org, 2005). It has been proven that breastfeeding can help an infant from coming in contact with diseases later on in life, helps the mother lose weight, and is also a cheaper way to feed the child (www.nrdc.org, 2005). This can be very vital information to know because this can help a lot more mothers become educated in breastfeeding their children rather than using formula. In recent findings on breastfeeding it was found that children who are breastfed longer as an infant were less likely to become obese in the future (Carling and Feldman-Winter, 2014). It was believed that breastfeeding allowed the child to discover proper eating habits due to microscopic substances in the breast milk the helped regulate metabolism, in which the child can then learn how to control the food intake as they got older (Carling and Feldman-Winter, 2014). This is very important because mothers can help prevent their child from becoming overweight or obese. It’s recommended that mother’s breastfed for more than four months, while this can be challenging between mothers who work or mothers who are not educated about breastfeeding, support groups and help are available for these mothers (Carling and

Most professionals highly recommend that mother’s breast-feed for the first year of their child’s life. This is because breast milk is the best source of nutrition as it contains the right amount of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, also providing the right amount of digestive enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and hormones that infants require. Breast milk contains antibodies provided from the mother that can help protect the baby against various infections, and ailments. (Breast Feeding vs. Bottle Feeding, n.d) Breast milk is something that was made naturally, so why try and buy something artificial when you have the real thing right at your fingertips. Breastfeeding is better than bottle-feeding a baby as breastfeeding has many benefits not only for the baby, but for the mother as well. The nutrients found in breast milk will help the infant strive to be the best it can be, and also the healthiest.

There are many difficult choices new mothers face in the world whether it's pre-birth or post-birth. Mothers tend to struggle with choosing the way they want to feed their newborn baby. The biggest discussion is whether or not to breastfeed your newborn or formula feed. Formula feeding feeds the infant while also providing needed nutrition. Breastfeeding helps create a bond between mother and child, has multiple health benefits as well as providing the best nutrition for children; therefore, I believe it is better for the mother and child.

An infant who is breastfed receives added health benefits compared to a child who is formula fed. In the first few days after birth, the breast milk is comprised of protein, vitamins A and E, and antibodies which help protect the infant from infection. After the first few days, the mature breast milk contains fats and cholesterol, which are essential for the growth and development of the infant’s nervous system, eyes, and brain. It also contains micronutrients calcium and magnesium, which are beneficial to the infant’s growth (Thompson et al., 2010).

The National Center for Biotechnology Information, says that women who are knowledgeable about the benefits of breastfeeding are more likely to do so. Breastfeeding provides advantages for the child and mother, that cannot be given by any other form of feeding. These benefits begin right after child birth and last a life time afterward. The chemical make up of breast milk is the exact blind of protein, sugar, and fat that a baby needs to grow. Breastfeeding also provides many immune benefits. Antibodies, immune factors, enzymes and white blood cells are pasted from mother to child through breastfeeding. These help build and support a growing baby’s immune system to fight various kinds of diseases and infections during childhood and beyond.

Research shows that breastfeeding and breast milk unequivocally hold many health advantages for children and mothers. Breast milk is uniquely suited to the human infant’s nutritional needs and is a live substance with unparalleled immunological and anti-inflammatory properties.