"Breast is best." A slogan widely known across the nation encouraging mothers to give their infants what the American Academy of Pediatrics acknowledges as a multifaceted health booster for mothers and infants alike. American Academy of Pediatrics recommends mothers exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of their infant 's life, yet many mothers are falling short of this recommendation. Survey research indicated 75.5% of children were ever breastfed. Of that 75.5% of children ever breastfed, only 12.4% were reported to be exclusively breastfeeding at six months.
Breastfeeding provides a wide array of health benefits for both baby and mother, while simultaneously enhancing the bond between mom and her baby. Mothers who breastfeed have a lower risk of ovarian and pre-menopausal breast cancer. Their babies see a boost in cognitive development, as well as lowering their chances of being obese as adults, unlike formula fed babies. Consequently, a lower risk of obesity correlates to a lower incident of a wide array of comorbidities such as
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Similarly to the previous article, the authors found a men 's opinion toward breastfeeding hosted a significant association between a mother 's choice to breast, or bottle feed her infant. Like mothers, a strong correlation between social conditions, including ethnicity, country of origin, education, and socioeconomic status, was found to have a sizeable impact on the father 's opinion of feeding method. This study, like many others, confirmed that breastfeeding ideals are often formed long before conception. Increasing the focus of breastfeeding to men and women alike through the use of the media, high school curriculums, and programs such as WIC could help make breastfeeding acceptance more widely spread across multi cultures, and also promote it as a socially acceptable
There are many different studies on what diseases and health risks are avoided from breastfeeding. It also states how long mothers should breastfeed their babies to have the best health outcomes. Eidelman and Schanler are both medical doctors that have studied in neonatology. Their article draws from over one hundred and fifty credible sources, which makes their article credible. This article will be used to support my topic of the health benefits for the mother and
The baby’s health is a main concern and in order to keep him or her healthy, mothers should breastfeed. Heather M. Kolinsky’s research proves that babies who are breastfed for at least the first six months of birth are “less likely to contract a wide range of infectious diseases.” The reason for this is because breast milk is made distinctly for the child. There are specific nutrients provided in breast milk
Nutrition and breastfeeding are subjects that can relate greatly to each other. New mothers are in a need of information regarding breastfeeding. Mothers receive the information and instructions on how to breastfeed at the hospital where they bear their children. That information is essential in the decision making process of whether to breastfeed or not. Still the clear choice for mothers everywhere is breastfeeding for several important life affecting reasons. Breast milk is highly nutritional, protects from various diseases, ideal in growth, promotes bonding, and is beneficial for the mother in a recovery process after labor.
Breastfeeding is when a woman feeds her child from her breast. Breastfeeding has been around since before the 15th century. In addition to strengthening the bond between a mother and her baby, breastfeeding offers a number of benefits for both a mother and her child. Babies who are breastfed have lower risk of meningitis, various cancers, diabetes, respiratory illnesses, bacterial and viral infections, childhood leukemia, allergies and obesity. Mothers have a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer, as well as osteoporosis. All mothers no matter where they are weather it be the mall, park, restaurant, or just out running errands need to have their right to breastfeed protected.
There many advantages to breastfeeding! Research shows that breastfed infants have fewer and shorter episodes of illness. The nutrition provided by breastmilk benefits the baby’s IQ. The skin-to-skin contact encouraged by breastfeeding offers babies greater emotional security and enhances bonding. Breastfeeding appears to reduce the risk of obesity and hypertension for the infant later in life. Breastfeeding delays the onset of hereditary allergic disease, and lowers the risk of developing allergic disease. Breastfeeding helps the baby’s immune system mature, protecting the baby in the meantime from viral, bacteria, and parasitic infections. Breastfeeding protects against developing chronic diseases such as: celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, and childhood cancers. (Shinskie and Lauwers, 2002)
Breastfed babies are less likely to develop other conditions, such as childhood obesity, asthma, or type 2 diabetes.
Breast feeding is a natural phenomenon and has numerous benefits to both baby and mother associated with it. The world health organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Suckling is an instinctive nature of all mammalian and provides their offspring with a pure, wholesome, nutritional food. Therefore, mothers and babies are genetically designed to gain from this natural process. Studies in humans have demonstrated that breast feeding of babies for even their first 3 months, can induce favourable health repercussions for many years after. However, the benefits are not just for the baby, breast feeding has also been shown to exhibit many beneficial effects both transient and sustained in the mother too.
The infant and mother create a bond between the two of them and the mother usually feels more confident about raising her infant. “By holding your infant safe in your arms and providing them with nourishment from your body, you as a mother are offering your infant a sense of continuity from pre- to post-birth life. Allowing your infant to have this time, you are promoting their understanding of a sense of love and protection and security that they need to adjust comfortably into this new world.” (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2015). When breastfeeding, the mother is able to lose more weight and may return to her pre-pregnancy weight with ease. Due to hormones released when breastfeeding, the mother’s menstrual cycle will come to a stop making it harder for her to conceive again before her body is ready. There are many risks that are lowered when breastfeeding, such as; lower risk of postpartum diabetes, postpartum ovarian and breast cancer, and rheumatoid
Breastfeeding rates are continually increasing. The nutritional benefit of breast over formula is a long established fact. “According to the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breastfeeding rates improved nationwide in 2000-2008, and some of the greatest improvement was among black women. However, only about 59 percent of black mothers breastfed in 2008, compared to 80 percent of Hispanic mothers and about 75 percent of white mothers. For 2008 rates of breastfeeding at a baby’s first birthday, the number was about 23 percent overall but only 12.5 percent for black mothers. That low rate still marks a near doubling of rates among black mothers compared to the year 2000” (Currie, 2013).It is the recommended method of feeding an infant for at least the first six months of life. Breastfeeding has benefits to both mothers and their babies. The baby receives immunity to protect it from disease. Financially, breastfeeding can significantly reduce the burden of having a new child. Many mothers initiate breastfeeding in the hospital; however, the number of women who breastfeed until six months is very low (Guyer, Millward, & Berger, 2012). Breastfeeding is highly favored over bottle feeding. Yet, mothers still do not choose to continually breastfeed their infants. Do mothers who breastfeed during hospitalization have limitations or no desire to continue versus mothers who breastfeed for the recommended six months or longer at home?
Breastfeeding also gives you more time to spend with your baby. Breastfeeding is something special only you are able to share with your baby. Some might find this as selfish or some might think they couldn’t emotionally handle being the only one able to feed baby. However, I see this as a special, beautiful experience only you can give your child. Someday when your child is grown and doesn’t need you to thrive, you will look back on these special moments that only you and your child could share with each other. With all the fancy breast pumps on the market today, a mother can easily pump milk for her child when away. My breast pump is like my best friend, without it I wouldn’t be able to leave my child for more than a couple hours. The great
Let me begin with this. Public breastfeeding is NOT exhibitionism. It is simply the act of feeding a baby. Nonetheless, women are still facing widespread discrimination in public for doing so.
It utilized infants from birth to six months of age. Studies were excluded if the formula contained long-chain poly-unsaturated fatty acids, if there were supplements to the mother or infants, if there was contamination of breast milk like lead and mercury, or if mother or child were sick at start or at an increased risk for disease. Convincing and probable evidence was found in favor of breastfeeding on several outcomes. Breastfeeding can decrease the growth and obesity in infants, help maintain normal blood pressure and serum cholesterol levels, and prevent diabetes in childhood. For each month a child was breastfed their BMI decreased and their odds of being obese were reduced by 8%. Breastfeeding was shown to have a small decrease in systolic blood pressure for children. Longer duration of breastfeeding may result in decreased likelihood of developing diabetes. Breastfeeding was also shown to protect infants from overall infections including gastrointestinal and respiratory tract
Rear Admiral Galson, S. K. (July 2008). Mothers and Children Benefit from Breastfeeding. American Dietic Association Vol 108 Issue 7 , p 1106.
Imagine you were pregnant, When you gave birth to your child, the only maternity leave you received was a month’s worth of vacation and sick time. And when you went to return to work, you found your job no longer existed. Since your employer was a small company, it didn’t have to go by federal laws that require 12 weeks of job protection after birth. This story is fictional, but it is real for so many. In America, there is no federal mandated paid maternity leave and that is hurting our women and our children by causing the miracle of birth to be masked by the all too real cost of no paid maternity leave.
During one of my shifts on postpartum I was helping a nurse look after a mom with her first baby. She really wanted to be able to breastfeed but she was having a lot of troubles getting her baby to latch on. It was a Saturday and there was no lactation consultant working who could come in to help her. Her baby was also small for gestational age, so she did have risk for hypoglycemia, making it really important for her baby to be feeding to ensure her blood sugars would not drop. After each attempt at breastfeeding and being unsuccessful, the mom would look very upset. The nurse tried to help her by showing her different breastfeeding positions and techniques and teaching her to express her milk and put it in the baby’s mouth. The