Breastfeeding Essay

From the moment that babies are pulled from the womb, skin to skin contact becomes vital in the first moments of the new life of the baby. This skin to skin contact includes the art of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding, although surrounded by significant societal criticism, provides significant benefits to both the mother and the baby. By providing crucial nutrients to their children, mothers are not only benefiting their children, they are benefiting themselves. Breastfeeding has been a widely used source of nutrition since the early days of mankind, though during the late nineteenth century, formula began to become a replacement (“Breastfeeding in public” 1). There are different forms of providing nutrients for infants, which include breastfeeding, pumping, and instant formula (“Breastfeeding in public” 1). In

When mothers enter the workforce after their maternity leave has ended, they begin to face a challenge when breastfeeding their child. Most mothers tend to travel the convenient route, pushing breastfeeding aside, leaving its benefits behind. However, this does not have to be the case because breastfeeding in the workforce is possible. While on maternity leave, steps can be taken to prepare both the baby and the mother to return to work. Prior to returning to work, mothers can pump while the baby is asleep and also begin to feed their babies from a bottle to begin the adjustment process (“Breastfeeding and Going”). After returning to work, there are certain protection laws such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, garnering mothers the right to pump while working (“Breastfeeding and Going”). Even though it may be difficult, mothers who are returning to work have no excuse to discontinue breastfeeding their child. The benefits that come along with breastfeeding are worth overcoming the