Taking a Look at Lactation

24) Prior to the onset of lactation, the mammary glands are prepared for the production of milk by

Matos, Ribeiro and Guerra write about the benefits of breastfeeding and breast milk and how the antioxidants within the milk help strengthen a babies immune system. They provide a lot of scientific research and information on the different types of antioxidants, vitamins and other nutrients that are within breast milk.

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.

The breasts are essentially a milk factory. Inside the breasts there are glands called lobules that are responsible for producing the milk. These glands contain branches of little sacs that hold the milk called alveoli. The lobules are positioned around ducts that carry milk to the nipple. Also, a layer of fatty tissue surrounds

Thesis: 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.

Females for the nourishment of the young could define a mammal as a warm-blooded vertebrate animal of a class that is distinguished by the possession of hair or fur, the secretion of milk. The roots of the mammalian line reach back almost 300 million years. Some of the very early mammal relatives dominated the landscape millions of years before dinosaurs appeared, and most of these species became extinct. During the age of dinosaurs, most mammals were not much bigger than small rodents. It was after the extinction of the large dinosaurs that the great diversity of mammals arose. The timeline in this hall displays the development of such key mammalian physical features as the synapsid opening in the skull, a large hole behind the eye socket

When we look at the sky, what do we see? Stars. What would it look like if there was an entire galaxy in view? That is exactly what will happen within four billion years. Our galaxy, the Milky Way Galaxy, is fated to collide with the Andromeda Galaxy, or M31. Scientists have been asking this question for decades, about how likely it is, or if it will even happen at all! But some newer evidence to this dilemma has revealed itself. Now that it is widely accepted as an inevitable fact, many questions are being asked, such as, “How probable is it?” and one of the most asked questions of them all, “Will we (humans in general) be around to see it?”. The answer is probably not, and here is why.

Breastfeeding has been happening since the beginning of time. Due to the sexualization of the breast, it has become an unpopular practice. Since the era of WWII, the infamous playboy magazine has shown provocative images and created the breast to be one of them. “As breasts became more sexualized, they became less functional: more the purview of men as sexual objects and less the domain of infants and as a source of food,”

Human infants, at the time which they are born, are incredibly dependent creatures. Extensive measures must be taken to ensure that they are given the adequate nutrients they need in order to grow into a health, fully-functioning adult. The means in which infants receive these nutrients is most commonly through breastfeeding. The intimate relationship between mother and child that exists in the womb is maintained after birth through the act of breastfeeding. The choice of a mother to breastfeed her child has numerous, serious implications – for both herself and her offspring. The physiological consequences that breastfeeding has on mother and child are undeniable. Breastfeeding directly affects the physical development of an infant

Scientists have conducted numerous studies that show little or no benefit to an infant’s development from adding DHA to infant formula. Overall, research results are inconsistent and inconclusive. Meanwhile, the formula companies have advertised aggressively in an attempt to convince parents that their DHA formula provides the same nutrients, and therefore the same benefits, as breast milk. There is no proof that DHA containing formulas are any better than other infant formulas, let alone similar to human milk. Infants who are not breastfed are at increased risk of numerous infectious diseases including bacterial meningitis, bacteremia, diarrhea, and respiratory tract infections to name a few. They are also at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome in the first year of life and are more likely to develop Type I and Type II diabetes mellitus. As adults,

Breastfeeding has become the new normal for parents of the millennium generation. With new research and enhanced parent education, new mothers have developed knowledge in relation to the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby. Breastfeeding is linked to psychological benefits such as a hormonal release to enhance bonding and attachment through mother and baby. At the very least, breastfeeding may also reduce or prevent the likeliness of long-term health complications. Coincidentally, some mothers still struggle with thought of breastfeeding and the potential risks and complications involved with formula fed infants. Let’s review the good, the bad and ugly facts of breastfeeding.

To begin, breastfeeding is the natural way to feed an infant. A woman’s body was formed by God in a unique way. After a woman, has a baby her body produces a hormone called Prolactin. This hormone signals for her breast to start producing milk to provide food for her child. Additionally, formula wasn’t invented until 1867 (Laura A. Jana, 2015), and before that most women stuck to breastfeeding. Although, it is popular for today’s women to formula feed their babies, it is not the way that God intended for the children to be fed.

Throughout the centuries before the development of formula milk, women who were not able to lactate due to chronic illness, heavy treatment or the consumption of prescription or recreational drugs were assisted by women who were either relatives or servants willing to breastfeed the newborn infant. These women were known as wet-nurses. There are multiple reasons as to why women consciously chose to use a wet-nurse in the past. Some of these reasons were due to social pressures such as women’s husbands being unsupportive of the concept of breast feeding as the practice would alter the shape of women’s breasts, pure vanity as women could not wear their clothes of choice or simply because the act was considered unfashionable amongst the upper

Breast feeding is the most favorable food an infant receives. A woman starts to lactate after birth and the newborn yearns for their mother’s milk. The child and mother bond creating a comfort environment. The breast milk comprises of balanced nutrients that carry immunological traits. However, if the mother didn’t have a healthy pregnancy or has a sexual transmitted infection the milk may do more harm than good. (Leifer 397-398)

Breastfeeding provides an opportunity for bonding between mother and child. Bonding between infant and the mother aids in the development of the infant’s brain and maternal instincts of love and affection for the baby; crucial in care and protection for the infant. The suckling reflex stimulates the release of oxytocin by the mother. Oxytocin enhances the mother’s feelings of love, trust, and affection. Babies also seek to suckle as a way of relieving stress and enhancing their security. Non-nutritional suckling by babies helps to relieve them of stressful conditions and to ensure security and establish a social