...Breastfeeding vs. Formula Deciding whether to breastfeed or provide formula milk is a major decision amongst new mothers. As simple as it may seem, the decision to breastfeed versus formula feed babies can be difficult and one of the most important decisions a mother can make. While there is nothing wrong with giving babies formula milk, breastfeeding should be the number one choice for mothers. As breast milk provides more nutrients, is naturally produced by mothers and is less expensive, breastfeeding is more beneficial than formula milk. When examining the benefits of breastfeeding as opposed to formula milk, breast milk tops the list with the nutrients and antibodies it provides. As breast milk contains antibodies that formula milk does not, this provides extra protection for babies against diseases and viruses. The first milk a baby receives while breastfeeding is colostrum. Colostrum is rich in nutrients and the mother’s own disease-preventing antibodies which may protect the baby from certain viruses (Kutner, 2012). Thus, breastfeeding babies contribute to building babies’ immune systems. As the breast milk matures, “the cells, hormones, and antibodies [in breast milk]…protect babies from illness” (Womenshealth.gov, 2011). This combination is unique to breast milk and is not contained in formula milk. On the other hand, some formula milk does contain more vitamin D than breast milk, which is essential in building strong bones. In addition, formula milk also...
Words: 1143 - Pages: 5
...Breastfeeding versus Bottle feeding has been a long time controversy. Studies has been done on young, first time mothers, shown that the decision-making on whether to breast or bottle feed was based on social influences and was not the best choice for the mother and her child (Wambach & Koehn). These young mothers need the facts. Is breastfeeding healthier for one’s child? Does the child receive enough from the mother? Is bottle feeding the cause in overweight children? Does bottle feeding really cause children’s teeth to decay? How do mothers know if her child is getting enough from breastfeeding? Is bottle feeding really measured out? These are all questions that mothers and doctors wonder about. History History of breastfeeding more than likely began when the first man and woman gave birth to his and her first child. According to researched, mothers who died during childbirth or anytime while nursing a baby, the baby was left to die or the baby was raised and fed by another lactating mother. Whenever the lactating mother was not available, mothers from the community would attempt to feed the baby other food, thus the beginning of formula. Babies were fed milk from animals such as goats or cows, and often liquids that consisted of broth, sugar or honey with water, and sometimes wine. Researched shows that many years ago babies were unnaturally nourished from a variation of utensils, feeding cups, and bottles that frequently ended disastrously. Studies show that...
Words: 2321 - Pages: 10
...Breastfeeding vs. Bottle Feeding Seanna Cox Rasmussen College Author Note This research is being submitted on March 17, 2013 for Dr. Rose’s English Composition. Breastfeeding vs. Bottle Feeding There are many benefits for breastfeeding and bottle feeding, but each can determine how your infant develops. When becoming a mother, one of the first things you do is decide whether to breastfeed or bottle feed. Unlike bottle feeding, breastfeeding has many more nutrients for the baby and advantages for the mother. Bottle feeding can be very nutritional for the baby but does not benefit the mother in anyway. Some mothers find that breastfeeding is more beneficial for their babies, while other mothers find that bottle feeding is more convenient. Breastfeeding by far has all the nutrients the baby needs for growing and developing properly. In the first two weeks of breastfeeding your baby, he/she will get all of the immunities and antibodies it needs to fight off infection. Breastfed babies are less likely to suffer from indigestion, constipation and ear infections. There are enough fatty acids in breast milk for optimal brain development for your baby. Breastfeeding also lowers the risk of your baby getting SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). “Breast milk is free, and saves money by eliminating the need to buy artificial milk (formula), bottles, and nipples” (Jacobson, 2006, p. 1514). There are also maternal benefits for breastfeeding. Some maternal benefits are lowering...
Words: 944 - Pages: 4
...I would recommend the 23-year-old woman to breastfeed her newborn because there are many benefits for both the mother and the baby. It is said that breast milk is the best nourishing milk for newborns. Breast milk contains many vitamins and minerals that newborns need. Breastfeeding can help the baby against many chronic conditions. For example, it helps lower the risk of the infant from getting ear infections, diarrhea, meningitis, diabetes, and sudden infant death syndrome (“Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding,” n.d.). It also protects the baby from having asthma and allergies. Many families have trouble finding a formula for the baby that doesn’t cause constipation, but the breast milk makes it easier for the baby to digest it. On the other...
Words: 306 - Pages: 2
...mothers cherish. There are many benefits that come with breast feeding. First, it provides natural antibodies that help your baby resist illnesses, such as ear infections, sore throats etc. Secretory immunoglobulin is a substance that works as the main immune factor. This substance guards against invading germs by forming a protective layer on the mucous membranes in your baby’s intestines, nose and throat (Baby, 1997). Second, it is usually more easily digested than formula. Babies that are breast fed are usually less constipated and gassy. I work with infants, and the bowel movements of the breast...
Words: 837 - Pages: 4
...Right Choice? There have been many trends that moms have followed throughout the decades. One-minute breastfeeding is the best choice for the baby and there is no doubt about it, the next breastfeeding is no longer the trend and formula is in. My purpose for this paper is to figure out if breastfeeding is truly the best choice for a baby. Being young and hopeful, I one day want to have a child of my own, so hopefully this research will allow me to decide if I will breastfeed my baby. There are a lot of advantages to breastfeeding an infant. The advantages appeal not only to the infant but also to the mother. To start out breast milk is always warm and ready compared to having to prepare a bottle of formula. Not only is breast milk always ready but it also is zero dollars. Formula can be extremely expensive to continuously buy. Breastfeeding is much more accessible and is the least expensive option. Along with being convenient breast milk also enhances brain development and the infants I.Q. in ways that formula cannot. A longitudinal study over a period of eighteen years involving one thousand children was preformed to show breastfed infants grew up to have both higher intelligence and academic achievement than those who were formula fed (Burby). Research has determined that a child’s first three years are the most critical in brain development. The infant’s nutrition during these essential periods in early growth and development permanently affects the structure...
Words: 1621 - Pages: 7
...July 23, 2012, “The Ideal and the Real of Breast-Feeding”, the benefits of breast-feeding vs formula bottle-feeding was discussed. Understanding the nutritional value of human mother’s milk and the added benefits for the infants immune system from the antibodies passed from the mother to infant, it is understandable the push to encourage breastfeeding. Public health official’s efforts to encourage exclusive breast-feeding in the first 6 months of an infant’s life struggles to meet the goal due in part to the difficulties many mothers encounter. In developed countries working mothers struggle with the time and commitment of continuing to breastfeed after returning to work. In underdeveloped countries mothers often are not able to safely prepare formula, therefore should be encouraged to breastfeed over formula feeding....
Words: 439 - Pages: 2
...Breast feeding Vs. Formula feeding Lyndie McPherson University of Phoenix COM/170 December 22, 2014 Winifred Donnelly Breast feeding Vs. Formula feeding When becoming a parent, there are many decisions that have to be made before the baby is even born. The most important decision is whether a mother will breastfeed or formula feed her baby. Breastfeeding should be the only option in feeding a baby unless there is a medical reason for why a mother cannot. When deciding on how she will feed her baby, a mother should know why formula is used rather than breast milk. She should know why breast milk is so much healthier, and she should be aware that there are several solutions that can solve any issues that may come up with breastfeeding. Women should know why formula is used rather than Formula Comfort and Lifestyle A woman should know why so many women never even consider breast milk as being an option for feeding their child. Many mothers choose formula over breast milk for reasons that have nothing to do with their baby. According to Kids Health from Nemours (1995-2014), their article Breast or Bottle, states “for many women their decision to breastfeed or formula feed is based on their comfort level, lifestyle and specific medical considerations that they might have. Many women do not breastfeed due to their comfort level and what people may think of them.”(para. Three sentence 2). Most women decide that they do not want to breastfeed because out in public people...
Words: 1791 - Pages: 8
...Humans are the only mammals that can consciously choose to feed their young artificial nourishment such as formula rather than milk from the mother’s breast. According to the company Nestle’, (Nestle.com) infant formula was invented in the late 1860s by a pharmacist named Henri Nestle’. Although mothers had previously used other foods when unable to breastfeed, this infant formula caught on and variations of it have been used through-out the world ever since. Except perhaps between Vegetarians and Carnivores, nowhere is the act of eating more controversial than the area of feeding a baby. Often strong feelings arise around both bottle-feeding and breast-feeding.; with proponents of each method standing firmly and often, passionately and vociferously on their respective sides. People from all walks of life, male and female, young and old, varying socioeconomic backgrounds, single or partnered generally feel free to weigh-in on the topic of Bottle feeding vs. Breastfeeding. In researching this topic I spoke with a varied cross section of society in Maine and in Nova Scotia and drew on my over eleven years combined experience spanning two decades being a breastfeeding mother. The information I have compiled reflects the attitudes which I have often witnessed first-hand. The prevailing attitudes in Maine and Nova Scotia towards breastfeeding appear to have changed little over the past 20 years. According to the World Health Organization “Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of...
Words: 1413 - Pages: 6
...Issues in Health Care Issues | Main Questions and Arguments | Breast-Feeding | * Domestic-scale cultures typically nurture their infants by breast-feeding * Breast feeding provides all necessary nutrients as well as antibodies that help ward off disease and the development of allergies * Scientists, including anthropologists agree that the best food for babies in the first 12 months of their lives is their mothers’ milk * Strong evidence suggests that babies and mothers benefit psychologically from the breast feeding experience * Breast feeding vs. Infant-Formula feeding * Nestle is the leading supplier of the product * Estimated that only 44% of babies in developing countries, and even lower percentage in developed countries are exclusively breast-fed * Companies promoted their product as a healthy substitute, especially in societies where mothers were likely to be undernourished * Studies have shown that formula-fed babies experience higher levels of asthma, allergies, eczema, diabetes and childhood cancers than breast fed babies * UNICEF has stated that every day, 3000-4000 infants die because they are denied access to breast milk | Elderly and Alone | * Depression among the elderly is comparatively common * Almost 20% of non-institutionalized elderly people displayed significant depressive symptoms * Depression among elderly people, especially those living in institutions, is frequently caused by their perception that they have...
Words: 380 - Pages: 2
...Infant Feeding in the Context of HIV FACILITATOR’S MANUAL TOSOUTH SOUTH THE SOUTH TO SOUTH PARTNERSHIP FOR COMPREHENSIVE FAMILY HIV CARE AND TREATMENT PROGRAM (S2S) South Africa has the largest HIV burden of any country in the world, with an estimated 5.7 million people living with the virus. Women and children remain at the centre of the pandemic in terms of transmission, vulnerability and potential for impact. To continue to build on the existing successes of South Africa’s antiretroviral (ARV) program, the capacity for HIV disease management must be enhanced. It is essential that HIV disease management transition from an individual case management to a family-centred and chronic-care approach targeting and prioritising pregnant women and children. Enrolling pregnant women and children into HIV care and treatment early and regularly can prevent new HIV infections and reduce morbidity and mortality, effectively sustaining the quality of life of mothers, their children, and their families. The scale up of effective prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and paediatric ARV care and treatment programs are crucial in the fight against HIV but are challenged by many factors including perceived complexity of treating pregnant women and children, inadequate paediatric and PMTCT knowledge and clinical skills, lack of psychosocial and adherence support, delays in integrating PMTCT services with antenatal and child health management systems, and gaps in referral...
Words: 47026 - Pages: 189
...breastfeeding, saying that it is “natural and good.” However, breastfeeding in public is a completely different situation. Some are 100% on board, others are 100% opposed to the act. (McKinney) I completely support public breast feeding. It is completely within your legal rights to breastfeed in public, without covering yourself, within the United States. In fact, state laws explicitly say “a woman has a right to breastfeed in public” and “(specify) that the act of breastfeeding is not indecent exposure” (CDC). Even though breastfeeding in public is legal, for some, there is still a negative stigma around it. Some consider breast feeding in public to be indecent exposure. This is because of the double standard involving the female breast (Donovan). We live in a society in which women’s breast have been extremely sexualized through movies, television shows, and advertisements. For example, within a mall one will probably see posters of Victoria’s Secret models in just their bras, watching TV a Hardee’s or Hooters commercial may play, and walking down the street one might see a woman in a low cut top. I have no problem with this. If this is how Victoria’s Secret, Hardees, Hooters, and the woman walking down the street want to present women and more specifically breasts, I’m fine with that. My issue is with the double...
Words: 1421 - Pages: 6
...Internet access and such. The nurses were paid twenty-five dollars for participating in the survey. The Article Perspectives of Hospital-Based Nurses on Breastfeeding Initiation Best Practices by Jennifer Weddig, Susan S. Baker, and Garry Auld, out of the research journal JOGNN is an article comparing Baby Friendly Hospitals VS non Baby Friendly Hospitals and the nurses which are employed at these different facilities. Weddig, Baker, and Auld report, “The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) to implement evidence-based best practices related to breastfeeding initiation and support (UNICEF and WHO, 2010) because hospital breastfeeding support practices influence initiation and duration of breastfeeding” (187). Trying to find the best way to initiate breastfeeding, and the continuation of strictly breast milk for the first six months of life. The Baby Friendly Hospitals have strict policies and Registered Nurses have completed an extra eighteen hour training session for ensuring the best start for mother and baby to breastfeed. The BFHI evidence-base states direct skin to skin contact as soon as the baby is born and to have the babe on the breast with in twenty minutes of being born (171). The nurses who work at these BFHI have policies to follow which include the supplementation if needed and direct guidance of such needs. If the baby is not able to breastfeed the first option should be to have the mother express her...
Words: 1019 - Pages: 5
...extra milk is most often expelled (spit up). -Mother’s colostrum is just the right amount for baby’s first feedings. | Newborn’s stomach capacity | Day 3: the newborn’s stomach capacity is 0.75-1oz: about the size of a “shooter” marble Small, frequent feedings assure that baby take-in all the milk needed. | Newborn's stomach capacity | Day 7: stomach capacity is not about 1.5-2oz; about the size of a ping-pong ball. -Frequent feedings- 8-12+ times/24 hrs -Assures baby takes in all the milk needed -Assures mother’s milk production meets baby’s demands | Colustrum | -Measurable in teaspoons- low volume but high in nutrients -Produced from the beginning of pregnancy through first several days of breastfeeding -Orange/yellowish, thick, sticky -Easily digestible by baby | Colustrum | * Provides large amounts of living cells -Defend against disease(safe vaccine) * Anitbody called IgA (immunoglobulin A) * Protects baby from infections that attack mucous membrans * throat, lungs,intestines | Colustrum | * Seals holes in baby’s gastrointestinal tract -Very permeable intestines * Contains high concentrations of leukocytes, protective white cells which can destroy disease-causing bacteria and viruses. | Colusrum | “Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding” Advantages of Breastfeeding * Costs nothing to breasted -Formula & medications & childcare * Different tastes * Convenience * Obesity prevention * Smarter babies...
Words: 293 - Pages: 2
...feel like they are trapped in their house, but every mother should remember that she is feeding her baby and that she is not doing anything wrong. Even though it may seem taboo in some...
Words: 953 - Pages: 4
