“Wouaa, wouaaa, wu wu, wouaaa” the baby cried. What is the baby saying and what does it want? One only has to ask a baby’s mother to find out what it wants. When a baby cries like that most of the time it’s just hungry. At this point a mother just listens to her maternal instinct and feeds her baby. She proceeds to raise her baby to chest level and lower her shirt, but before she can begin to feed her infant, an onlooker walks over and scolds her. The onlooker proceeds to explain that there are other ways of feeding children, instead of flashing ones breast. This really infuriates me, to believe that someone would come up to a mother and shame her out of feeding her child. Raising a child is hard enough, we don’t need to make it any harder. Mother’s should be allowed to breastfeed their babies whenever or wherever the baby is hungry. To increase the percentage of mothers’ breastfeeding their infants, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has argued that “breast milk is uniquely suited to the human infant’s nutritional needs and is a live substance with unmatched immunological and anti-inflammatory properties that protect against a host of illnesses and diseases for both mothers and children” ( 1-1). Many people think that instead of taking out their breast, why don’t mothers just feed their children formula. There are many classes of human milk substitutes out there being marketed to be better and healthier than breast milk, but that is simply untrue. The U.S.
For many years now humans have been deceived that cow’s milk will provide many health benefits.
One of the things fueling the force against breastfeeding in public is that not a lot of people know how beneficial breastfeeding over formula feeding is for the child. According to The Economic Benefits of Breastfeeding: A Review and Analysis Written by Jon p. Weimer, the majority of the American infants were breastfed up until around 1950. In the last 50 years alone, breastfeeding has changed significantly with the creation of synthetic formula, causing the number of infants being breastfed to dwindle off. Between 1946 and 1956, the number of infants being breastfed fell by half, and by 1967 only 25% of America’s infant population was being breastfed at the time of hospital discharge. The numbers proceeded to increase and decrease in the
However, the truth is that the United States of America are not included in those places. This topic has been raised very frequently in the debates that breastfeed milk is better than synthetic and bottled milk by many scientists and health professionals. Even the mothers, who understand the importance of breastfeeding also, prefer the easy and comfortable way of feeding kids with bottled milk. And many women does that because they don’t feel comfortable doing that in public. The question is, if it is worth cooperating the children health and growth by not providing the mother’s milk, and opting easy way out with bottled milk or due to fear of confrontation. Some people may also feel that even if mothers want to breastfeed their toddlers, and they aren’t bothering anyone they should do it the way they like, because for them breastfeeding is more satisfying and they get the feel of more caring towards their kids.
Brent’s article takes a hard look at the pros and cons of donor human milk over informal milk-sharing options, and the ethical concerns parents or mothers may have concerning donor human milk versus infant-formula. It further looks at and explains the pros and cons of infant-formula and the increasing advantages of breastfeeding.
Very few experts disagree with the fact that breastfeeding is the optimal choice for the infant. However, decreasing breastfeeding rates raise many questions as to why mothers are not choosing the best nutritional choice for their children. Despite breast milk being the obvious choice for infant feeding due to the health, psychological, and economic benefits, many mothers still decide to feed their infants formula due to lack of knowledge and support, difficulties with breastfeeding, and social embarrassment. Changes need to be made with formula companies, medical professionals, and the public opinion of breastfeeding in order to give nursing mothers the support they deserve.
“When breastfeeding is not exclusively practiced, infant formulas are generally used. The World Health Organization International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk that parents be fully informed about the health hazards of unnecessary or improper use of infant formula”(2).
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.
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
Breastfeeding is not only a lifestyle choice but also an important health care choice. Any amount of time that a mother can do it will help both her and the baby. Many benefits of breast milk are noted for mothers, babies, and others. Breast milk has disease-fighting cells called antibodies that help protect infants from germs, illness, and even SIDS. Infant formula cannot match the perfect chemical composition of human milk, specifically the cells, hormones, and antibodies that fight disease. The private practice of lactation
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).
Every human being born from their mother’s womb most likely have been breastfeed before. Breastfeeding is the best thing a mother could give to her baby, besides a roof over his or her head, love, and affection. Babies being breastfeed get their nutrients from their mother. Mother's shouldn’t have to put the need of feeding their child because someone does not like seeing it. The healthier the baby is the better chance of survival. Babies must eat just like we do. Their mothers can’t just neglect their needs. Neglect is against the law and a form of child birth.
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
There are many misconceptions today about feeding formula to babies and it being equal to breastfeeding. Breast milk is complex and species-specific; it targets growth and development of infants and provides disease protection. Both breast milk and formulas contain similar nutrients, but formulas are not an exact copy of breast milk. Formula may maintain growth and development, but it doesn’t contain hormones, live cells, immunologic agents, or enzymes, all of which are contained in breast milk. Breast milk contains four-hundred nutrients that cannot be recreated in a laboratory. Formula compositions don’t change to meet the infant’s changing needs. Although many formulas are similar to breast milk, they have drastic differences in