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 …show more content…
If a mother immediately suckles her infant after giving birth, signals are sent from the mammary glands to the pituitary gland. These signals cause the pituitary gland to leak significant amounts of oxytocin into the mother’s body. The release of this hormone causes the uterus to contract, causing the birth of the placenta to proceed with little complication. Because of this contraction and the procession of the placenta being delivered, the risk for potentially fatal post-partum bleeding is lessened, as well as acting as an aid in return the uterus back to a normal size. (CITE) Breastfeeding also acts as a natural form of birth control. It only seems reasonable that a mother’s body would use lactation as a signal to halt the process of ovulation – preventing a woman from becoming pregnant while she is still responsible for giving a substantial amount of her attention to a dependent child. This post-natal, temporary infertility is called lactational amenorrhea. If practiced correctly lactational amenorrhea or LAM is over 98 percent effective as a natural form of birth control. For its effectiveness to translate, though, breastfeeding must be the only source of nutrition for the child, and the mother must suckle at least every four hours during the day. LAM is most effective for the first six months post-partum. During this time, it is likely that the suckling mother will not have a menstrual
Studies have shown that breastfeeding has numerous benefits for mother and baby, including reducing the risk of common childhood infections. The protective antibodies found in breast milk helps to combat common infections that often leads to missed days from 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
This paper discusses the benefits breastfeeding has on infants and children. The hypothesis is that feeding breast milk to infants significantly improves their health and cognitive functioning. Research which supports this hypothesis is discussed in this paper. The paper will discuss the methods and results of each study. Two studies are about the positive effects that breast milk has on the brain and cognitive development. Another study is about the positive effects that breast milk has on infants health.
It is shown that the longer the duration of breastfeeding, the less likely they are to develop these health issues (Godfrey, Lawrence 1598).
Breastfeeding is one of the best methods for providing infants with a healthy start to life. Breast milk helps the body fight off various bacteria and viruses that one’s child might be at risk for catching. Breastfed babies are thirty-six percent less likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome and are fifty-five percent likely to become obese later in life, compared to babies who are not breastfeed. (Workplace and Public Accommodations for Nursing Mothers, 2016) Not only is the child benefiting from breastfeeding, the mother is as well. Women who breastfeed are more likely to revert to their
Breastfeeding is the prefect way that providing ideal food for healthy growth and development of infants; it is also an important component part of the reproductive process for the health of mothers (WHO, 2002). Breastfeeding has benefits not only for both mother and baby in health and family finance but also for society. The chance of disease such as type 2 diabetes, breast cancer ovarian cancer and postpartum depression would be decreased if mother breastfeed their babies. And babies would have a lower risk to get necrotizing enterocolitis, lower respiratory infections, asthma, obesity and type 2 diabetes. In poor family, breastfeeding can save the cost of formula milk and health care. For society, if 90 percent of mothers breastfeed their babies for 6 months, 1000 deaths of infants will be prevented. For environment, the amount of rubbish would be decreased due to the less of formula can and bottle.
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.
This paper will explain the benefits of breastfeeding and how it plays an extreme role in the long-term health of a child not only in the early stages of life but also into adulthood and how we as nurses can help promote this mode of nutrition.
This article references many statistics and studies done on the short and long term effects/advantages of breastfeeding on children. The article then explains the short and long term effects breastfeeding has on the mother. The article also includes bigger reason to breast feed such as economic and environmental reasons to breastfeed. The article ends with a section of contradictions about breastfeeding, making the article more credible. This source can be used to support any one of the four points made in the thesis.
There are still women who do not breastfeed simply because they think children can still be successful regardless of how they were fed. “Babies raised on formula can turn out to be just fine, but they say everything should be done to help women breast-feed if they can” (Stein). This statement may be true, but the child will not get the natural nutrition it needs from its mother's milk. In the first days of birth, a mother does not produce
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).
“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.
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.
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
The fertility regulating effect of breastfeeding has been known for underestimated. This has been due mostly to the lack of knowledge of the events associated with breastfeeding that determine its contraceptive effect. It is now known that breastfeeding per se is not a particularly effective or reliable means of contraception. On the other hand, the period of amenorrhea associated with breastfeeding, commonly referred to as lactional amenorrhea, provides an important degree of contraceptive effect.