While every new mother faces the task of choosing the breast or the bottle for her newborn, it is essential that she is properly educated about the benefits of breastfeeding before making a final decision. Breastfeeding can benefit not only mother and child, but the larger economic sphere.
Benefits For Baby
- Breast milk is the most complete form of nutrition for aninfant, with just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein that is needed for a baby’s growth and development.
- Breast milk is filled with powerful antibodies that provide a natural defense against infection and illness.
- Breastfed infants tend to gain less unnecessary weight. Consequentially, they are less overweight later in life, reducing their risk of heart disease and diabetes.
- Premature babies also do better when breastfed compared to premature babies who are fed formula.
- Breastfed babies score higher on IQ tests later in life.
Benefits For Mother
- Breastfeeding assists in after-birth recovery by releasing hormones which gradually shrink the uterus back to pre-pregnancy shape and size, and lessens bleeding after birth.
- Nursing uses extra calories, making it easier to lose pregnancy weight.
- Exclusive breastfeeding can delay the return of normal ovulation and menstrual cycles.
- Breastfeeding lowers the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, and possibly the risk of hip fractures and osteoporosis after menopause.
- Breastfeeding also helps secure the mother-baby bond, and the physical contact makes newborns feel warm and comforted.
- If nothing else—breastfeeding makes life easier! It saves time and money. Parents do not have to purchase, measure, and mix formula. There are no bottles to warm in the middle of the night, and a mother can give her baby immediate satisfaction by providing her breast when baby is hungry.
Benefits For Society
- Since breastfed infants typically need fewer doctor visits, prescriptions, and hospitalizations, breastfeeding saves on overall health care costs.
- Breastfeeding also contributes to a more productive workforce, since breastfeeding mothers miss less work, as their infants are sick less often.
- Breastfeeding is also better for the environment as there is less trash and plastic waste compared to that produced by formula cans and bottle supplies.
Every woman has the responsibility to consider carefully how she will feed her child. Healthcare providers should provide education about both breastfeeding and bottle-feeding. While no woman should feel guilt or remorse if she chooses not to breastfeed, it would be wonderful if each woman tried it for at least the first few weeks of her newborn’s life. The benefits of breastfeeding will be apparent for many years.
Reference:
Huggins, Kathleen. "The Nursing Mother's Companion." Harvard Common Press, 2005.
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