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by Jean Lessard, M.D.
Story last updated at 12:08 p.m. on Wednesday, January 12, 2000
Breast is Best Healthier babies Human breast milk is designed for human
infants, with proportions and types of sugar, protein, and fat that are ideal.
Infants digest it easily, and it promotes development of the brain and immunity
against human illness.
Breast milk helps an infant develop its own defense against disease and gives
it immunity directly from the mother in the form of antibodies. Infants fed
breast milk are less likely to have diarrhea, ear infections, pneumonia,
meningitis, and allergies.
They also have some protection against sudden infant death syndrome and have
more human contact than infants fed with a bottle. In addition, they experience
better development of their facial muscles than bottle-fed infants. Sucking at a
bottle distorts these muscles.
Healthier moms
Mothers benefit from breast-feeding, as well. After childbirth,
breast-feeding makes the uterus return to normal size more quickly, and it
decreases blood loss. It also helps moms return more quickly to their
pre-pregnancy weight and provides protection against another pregnancy.
(Only 1 percent to 2 percent of women who breast-feed full-time become
pregnant again in the first six months after delivery. That's at least as good
as, if not better than, birth control pills.)
Long-term health benefits for moms include improved bone density with less
postmenopausal hip fractures and reduced risks for ovarian and premenopausal
breast cancers.
Time and money
Breast-feeding saves a family money and time. Some people worry that
breast-feeding women need to eat a special diet. This is not true.
Breast-feeding makes women's bodies more efficient at absorbing nutrients from
foods.
Formula, on the other hand, costs $800-1,000 a year. Then there are all the
bottles, cleaning supplies, water for the formula, and travel to and from the
store. Time is money, and the time to obtain, prepare, and clean up formula
really adds up.
Breast-fed infants are sick less often then infants fed with a bottle, which
is an advantage for both families and employers.
Employed moms who breast-feed miss less time from work to care for ill
children, and those who return to work part-time tend to be more efficient and
therefore just as productive as full-time employees are. For employers, it is
better to keep good employees rather than train new ones.
Renewable resource
Bottle-feeding pollutes our environment in that formula must be processed,
packaged, and transported. It is estimated that the packaging of all the formula
presently used in the United States every year would circle the world one and a
half times if laid end to end. Even the energy to heat formula and soaps to
clean bottles contribute to pollution.
Breast-feeding requires no packaging, transportation, or preparation. The
milk is always ready, the temperature is right, and there is no waste. Breast
milk is a natural and renewable resource.
Obstacles to breast-feeding
So, why do so few women in our culture breast-feed their infants? One reason
is that there is very little support from our society. Bottles are a common
symbol of infants, while the female breast is a sex symbol almost to the
exclusion of its natural purpose.
Although breast-feeding is natural, it is not instinctive for mom or infant.
The first few days or weeks of an infant's life are a learning time for mother
and child. In addition to learning how to breast-feed, moms learn how their
infants communicate.
But many times, the mom cares for the baby by herself and tries to do too
much, which results in sleep deprivation and little self-care. This situation is
not good for learning.
Worry and concern about the unknowns are problems, as well. One of the
unknowns is the amount of food that infants eat. Newborn infants may nurse every
one-and-a-half to three hours around the clock. If they sleep longer than four
hours during the first two weeks of life, they should be wakened for a feeding.
There is no direct measure of how much an infant eats, but infants give a lot
of clues. (It is not related to the size of the mother's breasts.). They should
have at least six diapers wet with pale yellow urine each day, as well as
several small bowel movements a day.
Although some infants lose weight the first week of life, they should
steadily gain weight after that and reach their birth weight by two weeks of
age. Well-fed infants sleep well and appear alert and healthy when they are
awake.
If there is any question, it is important to remember to call or ask someone,
such as the infant's health-care provider or a lactation consultant.
Many women think they can't breast-feed because they must go back to paid
employment. This situation can present challenges, but it does not mean that
moms should not nurse when the infant is born or stop when they go back to the
job.
Employers can do a lot to help. Extended maternity leaves give moms time to
get breast-feeding well established, and part-time or flexible hours also are
very helpful. Having child-care at the work site or at least a private
comfortable room with electric breast pumps and refrigerators for human milk
storage have been shown to be money savers for employers, as well as important
incentives for mothers to continue to breast-feed.
Even nursing part-time is beneficial to mother and infant. Mothers who cannot
breast-feed after returning to paid employment may still give benefits to their
infant by nursing them as a newborn.
Not even close
While the mom is the only family member who can offer the benefits of
breast-feeding, the rest of the family -- especially fathers -- need not be left
out. Infants require a lot of attention and interaction with other people.
With confidence, support, and practice, new moms can make breast-feeding
successful. For our children, the breast truly is best. Formula is not even
close.
Breast-feeding provides significant benefits for women, children, and
families. Until the twentieth century nearly all infants were breast-fed.
Breast-feeding was viewed as a normal, expected part of the childbearing cycle.
It is a natural way to nourish your baby, but it takes learning and practice. Almost every woman can produce milk after her baby is born and breast-feed
with success. Still, breast-feeding may not be for all women. Many
factors are involved in each woman's decision: life style, desire, attitude, and
time. If you choose to bottle-feed, your baby will still be well
nourished. If you use only bottle-feeding, you will lose your milk supply
after a few days and will no longer have the option of breast-feeding.
COMMON CONCERNS Breast Shape: ADEQUATE MILK SUPPLY
BREAST
PROBLEMS
CONTRACEPTION
SEX AND
BREAST FEEDING PUMPING
THE MILK BOTTLE-FEEDING
Childhood leukemia
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