Women are usually faced with an overwhelming variety of choices to make immediately after the birth of their baby, particularly deciding on whether they have a desire to breastfeed or not. This can be followed up with digesting related information and advice given by midwives aiding into making the right decision. The intention of this essay is to justify in depth the significance of a woman breastfeeding her baby, conducting the benefits of both perspectives of the mother and baby. These benefits will be established, outlining the reason as to why breastfeeding is more effective. This will be done by covering topics such as existing nutrients in breast milk, protection of infection and disease in an infant, the unique physical bond between the mother and infant which all lead up to better health outcomes. Methods of a midwife’s role in distributing a health promoting approach to encourage exclusive breastfeeding, whilst applying measures of support and education will also be explored.
Human breast milk is a biological fluid that supplies an adequate amount of nutrients and components, which assures the effective development and growth of a newborn (Ebringer, Ferenčík, & Krajčovič, 2008). It is one of the healthiest methods of feeding a newborn from the time they are born, until the first six months of life and can be prolonged to up to 2 years or more. Several studies have strongly outlined the numerous benefits that breastfeeding has to offer, in which assists both the
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
The audience intended for this paper are mothers that have a desire to breastfeed, employers, clinicians, breastfeeding advocacy groups and federal and state legislators involved in policy change.
A lot of mothers are not being told how wonderful breastfeeding is for their health. Whether out of inexperience or due to the impact of the artificial baby milk industry, many health care providers fail to let mothers know of the facts. As other new mothers find out about these facts, more mothers will not merely choose to breastfeed for a short period of time to provide early disease control for their baby, but will continue to breastfeed, providing the best results both for their child and for
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.
If one chooses to have a child, shouldn’t he or she be obligated to do what is best for that child? There are many important choices to make for that child, and some may be more difficult than others. Hospital or home birth? Pampers or Huggies? Crib or family bed? But when it comes to feeding, the choice is clear. Breast-feeding is the best choice that mothers can make for themselves and their child.
“Some mothers have to give up breastfeeding even though they want to breastfeed. To give up breastfeeding can be a sensitive issue in a time when breastfeeding is promoted as the healthiest for mother and child” (Larsen & Kronborg, 2013, p. 848). The debate over whether breast-feeding is better than bottle-feeding or vice versa has been a debate for many years. With more and more research that is continuously being developed, the option to breast-feed or bottle-feed is ultimately up to the parents of the child. Although the decision could be based on factors such as a physical incapability or financial burdens, the end result should always be what is going to be best for the baby. As research continues to grow, there has been proven evidence of the positive and negative aspects that come with breast-feeding and bottle-feeding.
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.
This is Eromosele, I love Grand Canyon University.Breastfeeding decision should be addressed prenatally to give more time for the mother to make decision before the baby is born. The nurse and the doctors should found out her preference first because most women make up their mind during pregnancy and if they receive proper education from the doctor and nurse, followed by attending breastfeeding classes, they would make the best decision and prepared for it before delivery. To address the postpartum mother reluctancy on adequate nutrition for a newborn, she should not be judged nor forced into formula or breastfeeding, rather,respect her decision, found out why she does not want to breastfeed, any concern should be addressed appropriately.
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.
During pregnancy, mothers are often faced with the personal decision of whether they should breastfeed or formula-feed their newborn. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each feeding method. The purpose of this paper is not to shame a mother for the feeding method she chooses, but instead to provide understanding into the reasons why a mother may choose breastfeeding over formula-feeding. A commonly asked question is: “Is breast really best?” There is no right or wrong choice, just the best choice for mom and baby.
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.
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