Breastfeeding Essay

1303 Words3 Pages

Breastfeeding is the most protective, nutritional, and natural way to provide nourishment to infants. Human milk contains several nutrients including: vitamins, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and minerals. These nutrients are imperative for an infant’s developmental growth. Human milk also reduces the risk of developing morbidities, especially within premature infants. Premature infants, who are more prone to infection due their immune systems, benefit from human milk. Compared to artificial formulas, human milk provides antibodies and other beneficial nutrients to help with the development of the infant. Keywords: Breastfeeding, premature infants, developmental growth. Throughout the animal kingdom, humans are one of the only species who use supplemental formula to feed their young. Doctor Ruth Lawrence states that there are “4,000 species of mammals, and they …show more content…

By remaining exclusive to human milk, the premature infant has an increase in benefits and outcomes. This change in recommendation is due to the benefits of human milk which include “decreased rates of late-onset of sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, retinopathy, sudden infant death syndrome, fewer re-hospitalizations in the first year of life, and improved neurodevelopmental outcomes.” (Underwood, M. A.). Due to an underdeveloped gastrointestinal tract, it is shown that preterm infants require smaller amounts of human milk than a full-term baby. It is crucial to teach mothers of preterm infants, that the colostrum or milk they produce is sufficient. If the mother does not produce enough milk, she should be directed to a donor human milk bank or talk to a lactation consultant. Nevertheless, it is crucial nurses emphasize the importance of reducing formula feeding and implement exclusive

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