Persuasive Essay On Breastfeeding

According to Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, “breastfeeding, also called nursing, is the process of feeding human breast milk to an infant, either directly from the breast or by expressing (pumping out) the milk from the breast and bottle-feeding it to the infant”. When we speak about the benefits of breastfeeding, people tend to think about how beneficial it is for the child, unbeknownst to many, breastfeeding has numerous benefits for both mother and child. We can even take it a step further and say breastfeeding is good for society in general.

Breastfeeding is popularly known for being healthier for the baby in comparison to formula, but the term healthier seems very broad. Breastmilk provides a baby’s immune system with live antibodies and enzymes that protect your baby against a wide variety of diseases and infections. This protection is not just for your breastfeeding duration but protects your baby for years to come. One of the greatest benefits of breastfeeding for the baby is the fact that providing your child with breastmilk can reduce their risk of getting breast cancer or ovarian cancer. This holds true for the mother as well. Per an article posted on The

In an article published by American Breastfeeding Association, “breastfeeding allows a mother to burn between 425 to 700 calories a day by nursing her baby”. This helps a mother to return to her pre-pregnancy weight faster. Another benefit for the mother is that her milk is easily accessible for her baby. She does not have to go to a store to buy it or prepare it a certain way because it is right there made specifically for her baby and let’s be honest, breastfeeding is also free and relieves a family of the financial strains that buying formula can put on a family. The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor estimates that a family spends “between $1,138.50 and $1188.00” annually on