Breastfeeding Choosing whether to breastfeed or formula feed your baby is one of the first decisions expectant parents will

Breastfeeding
    Choosing whether to breastfeed or formula feed your baby is one of the first decisions expectant parents will make. Although there’s no right or wrong choice, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)joins other organizations such as the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Dietetic Association (ADA), and the World Health Organization (WHO)in recommending breastfeeding as the best for babies. Specifically, the AAP says babies should be breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months and that breastfeeding should continue until 12 months (and beyond)if both the mother and baby are willing.
    The decision to breastfeed or formula feed your baby is a very personal one. But here are some points you may want to consider as you decide which is best for you and your new addition. Let’s first take a look at the advantages of breastfeeding for the babies.
    To begin with, breast milk is infection-fighting. Antibodies passed from a nursing mother to her baby can help lower the occurrence of many conditions, including ear infections, diarrhea, respiratory infections, and meningitis. Other factors help to protect a breastfed baby from infection by contributing to the infant’s immune system by increasing the barriers to infection and decreasing the growth of organisms like bacteria and viruses. As a group, formula-fed infants have more infections and more hospitalizations than do breastfed babies.
    The second advantage lies in its ease of digestion. Breast milk’s components— lactose, protein and fat—are easily digested by a newborn’s immature system.
    As a group, formula-fed infants have more difficulty with digestion than breastfed infants. Breast milk tends to be more easily digested so that breastfed babies have fewer incidences of diarrhea or constipation.
    Breast milk also naturally contains all the vitamins and minerals that a newborn requires. Commercial formulas do a pretty good job of trying to duplicate the ingredients in breast milk— and are coining closer—but haven’t matched their exact combination and composition. Why? Because some of breast milk’s more complex substances are too difficult to manufacture and some have not yet been identified.
    Also, breastfeeding is obesity prevention. Recent studies indicate that breastfeeding might help prevent childhood and adult obesity. According to the National Women’s Health Information Center (part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), babies who are breastfed tend to gain less unnecessary weight, which may help them be less overweight later.
    In addition, with no bottles to mix and sterilize and no last-minute runs to the store for more formula, breast milk is always fresh and available. And because breast milk is always the right temperature, there’s no need to warm up bottles in the middle of the night. It’s also easy for breastfeeding mothers to be active—and go out and about—with their babies and know that they’ll have food available for whenever their little one is hungry.
    Besides, breastfeeding is also beneficial to mothers. It burns calories and helps shrink the uterus, so nursing moms may be able to return to their pre-pregnancy shape and weight quicker. In addition, studies show that breastfeeding helps lower the risk of breast cancer and also may help decrease the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer.
    Except for the benefits, breastfeeding does come with some concerns that many new mothers share, and it can be challenging. Sometimes, both mother and baby need plenty of patience and persistence to get used to the routine of breastfeeding. But all the effort is often worthwhile in the long run for both the mother and her baby.
    Now let’s move on to the next part of the lecture—challenges of breastfeeding.
    1.Personal comfort. Initially, as with any new skill, many moms feel uncomfortable with breastfeeding. But with adequate education, support, and practice, most moms overcome this. The bottom line is that breastfeeding shouldn’t hurt. Otherwise, it’s a good idea to seek the help of a lactation consultant or the child’s doctor. Many times, it’s just a matter of using the proper technique.
    2.Time and frequency of feedings. There’s no question that breastfeeding does require a substantial time commitment from mothers. And breastfed babies do need to eat more often than babies who are fed formula, because breast milk digests faster than formula. Some women may be concerned that nursing will make it hard for them to work, run errands, or travel. One way out is to give the baby pumped breast milk if Mom needs a break or has to get back to work outside the home.
    3.Limiting caffeine. Caffeine intake should be kept to no more than 300 milligrams (about one to three cups of regular coffee)per day for breastfeeding women because it may cause problems such as restlessness and irritability in some babies.
    4.Maternal medical conditions and medicines. Medical conditions such as HIV or AIDS or those that involve chemotherapy or treatment with certain medications may make breastfeeding inadvisable. In these cases, a woman should check with her doctor or a lactation consultant if she’s unsure if she should breastfeed with a specific condition or while taking medications.
    OK, to sum up, today’s lecture has covered some advantages and disadvantages of breastfeeding. In our opinion, breast milk is the ideal form of nutrition for newborns, but for mothers who are unable to breastfeed or who decide not to, infant formula is a good alternative. The point is you should bond with your baby just fine. After all, whether with breast milk or formula, feeding is an important time of connection between mother and baby.