A mother deciding whether or not to breastfeed her baby is a big deal in our day and time. The women in some cultures do not consider other ways to nourish their child; breastfeeding is what was naturally decided to begin with after watching all of the women in their families nurse their children. Another set of women from another culture may think that bottle milk is superior to breast milk due to the fact that it is manufactured and it must have good benefits if people designed it to go into the bellies of their babies. And then there’s our culture, where women are given an option of breastfeeding or bottle feeding. Breastfeeding is the best choice for the baby and the mother. Some may say that breastfeeding can be awkward, inconvenient, and just not worth the hassle. However, when you look at the facts, the woman and the infant are rewarded in numerous ways. The breast milk builds up the infant’s immune system and provides the rich nourishment that is needed for healthy development, decreases the risk of female cancer and promotes weight loss for the mother, and facilitates bonding for the baby and the mom (a benefit that lasts a lifetime).
Infants grow rapidly in their first year of life, but you can tell a difference if a baby has grown by the means of formula milk or breast milk. Formula milk has artificial and processed calories while breast milk has a substance called colostrum which contains plenty of protein, fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, and immunoglobulins. This is good for the purpose of the baby’s maintaining a healthy weight gain and for their digestive system. “It (breast milk) is easier to digest than formula and may help to prevent gas and colic. A breastfed baby's bowel movements are not as smelly, and they're not as irritating to a baby's skin. Breastfed babies don't usually get diarrhea or constipation, and they have diaper rash less often than formula-fed infants.” (verywell) The infant is born with essentially no way to fight infection or harmful germs. By consuming the mother’s milk, the baby can become immune to bacteria that the mother has already been exposed to. “Breastfeeding is the biological norm, and since organs of the immune system like the thymus (which is responsible for the development of the immune system) can only develop to their full potential through breastfeeding, an inevitable conclusion must be that people who were never breastfed (or those who were weaned too early) will have deficient immune systems -- not just in infancy but for the rest of their lives. From the outside, babies seem to grow well on formula -- they certainly get bigger and longer. But on the inside their vital organs may struggle to grow adequately without support from mother's milk, which has evolved to meet their needs” (La Leche League International). Babies that are being breastfed rarely ever see their pediatrician other than for the purpose of their routine check up.
While breastfeeding has tremendous benefits for the baby, mom gets some of her own. Breastfeeding can reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancers. “During pregnancy and breastfeeding, you shed breast tissue. ‘This shedding can help remove cells with potential DNA damage, thus helping to reduce your chances of developing breast cancer,’ King says. Breastfeeding also can help lower your ovarian cancer risk by preventing ovulation. And the less you ovulate, the less exposure to estrogen and abnormal cells that could become cancer” (MD Anderson). Women should take advantage of any health promoting actions that can help to avoid the dangers of cancer- it is recommended that a woman breastfeed for six months but being an over achiever and doing it for even longer can reduce the risks even more so. Weight loss of the baby weight gained during pregnancy is boosted while breastfeeding. One burns around five hundred calories a day just by nursing her infant. Also, the woman knowing that what kind of foods she takes in affects her milk, will encourage her to eat healthier as she is breastfeeding, promoting weight loss.
Some new moms may experience some anxiety when thinking about being the only source of nourishment for their baby. They may be scared that they won’t produce enough milk, that the baby won’t latch well, and even that they will not be able to incorporate breastfeeding into their everyday schedule. Breastfeeding does propose a challenge. It forces the mother to give up a lot of her freedom, she or her pre-pumped milk, must be near her child at all times. Breastfeeding can be painful due to breast engorgement and sensitive nipples. This alone can turn a mother away from breastfeeding her child. The woman will have to make some alterations to her lifestyle—for instance, her diet—she will have to restrict her consumption of caffeine and alcohol, which may be less than desirable for her, making it easy to throw the idea of breastfeeding away.
Mothers can easily look past all of the cons of breastfeeding when they experience the bond that breastfeeding creates between a mother and a child. I’ve had women say that there is no feeling like knowing that you can provide for your child in a way that no one else would be able to. As the mother hears the baby whimper during the night, her hormones begin to prepare her body to produce milk for her child. She gets the alone time with her baby that she needs in order for her to begin to fall in love with him or her. This bond is meant to be felt between all mothers and their children. It is up to the mother though, if she would like to participate in this beautiful task of motherhood.
