The Benefits of Breastfeeding Over Bottle Feeding

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Recommended: Compare breastfeeding to bottle feeding

All mothers want what is best for their children, and while health care professionals encourage breastfeeding as the natural feeding choice, many mothers still choose to feed their babies with artificial milk. The 2014 Breastfeeding Report Card states that only 19% of women nationwide were exclusively breastfeeding their babies at 6 months of age. While 2-5% of women physically cannot breastfeed, this leaves around 80% of women who have made the choice to feed their infant artificially (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). These astounding rates could be because mothers are not fully aware of the benefits of breastfeeding along with the harm of choosing formula.

Despite the many opinions that science has matched the complexity of breast milk when creating formula, breastfeeding is still the optimal choice. Not only is the product of human milk superior, the process of breastfeeding is also paramount. Breastfeeding is more than simply a way to feed a baby; it is the first relationship an infant will encounter. Many emotional and developmental advantages come with this connection. Breastfeeding offers many benefits for mother and infant. It provides incredible nutritional value as well as both emotional and physical benefits.

One of the main reasons a mother should choose to breastfeed is because of the perfect balanced nutrition it offers for her baby. Ruth Lawrence is a MD and a professor of pediatrics and obstetrics at the University of Rochester, School of Medicine in Rochester, N.Y. and is also a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. She states, “There are 4,000 species of mammals, and they all make different milk. Human milk is made for human infants and it meets all their specific nutrient ...

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...dministration. Questions and Answers for Consumers Concerning Infant Formula. Web. 10 May 2014. Available at http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/InfantFormula/ConsumerInformationAboutInfantFormula/ucm108079.htm#15.

Nicette Jukelevics, and Ruth Wilf . “Breastfeeding Is Priceless“ Web. 10 May 2010.

Available at http://www.vbac.com/tag/birth-interventions/

Sears, William M.D., Martha Sears, R.N., James Sears, M.D., and Robert Sears, M.D. AskDrSears.com. 2009 .

Thompson, L. Common breastfeeding myths. Leaven. 1971;34(2):21-21.

World Health Organization. (2014). Infant feeding in emergencies. Available at http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/emergencies/ife_module1/en/index.html

Williams, Ward. “Comparison of Human Milk and Formula” A Trusted Resource for Parents. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2009.

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