breastfeeding

Bottle feeding in the US has become the social norm. Today more women are working outside the home and forumla feeding seems to be faster and more flexible, and a hostility towards breastfeeding has been adapted. Those who choose to breast feed are looked down upon, and more often than not, breast feeding in public is not an option for them. Although it is seldom, women are even seen in the news for causing negative reaction to breastfeeding in public. But why?

The breast has become sexual symbol. People view the breast as erotic and women and are usually viewed through the neverending desire of men. This has implanted the idea that women's breasts exist soley for the purpose of pleasure to others, and not for the purpose of providing nurishment to their young. When people see a women breastfeeding, their reaction is usually ackwardness and distaste because our society has accepted the idea that the breast is sexual and not reproductive.

This trend in not using the female breast as infant nourishment needs to be reversed. It has been thought that formula is nutritionally equal to breast milk and has been endorsed by the Pediatric community sence the 1950's, but this is not the case. There are several reasons why breast milk is healthier. Breastmilk contains over four-hundred nutrients that cannot be recreated in a laboratory. These nutrients are essential to the healthy production and growth of babies. Infact, the caloric density, protein, carbohydrates, and fat in breastmilk changes with the growth of the baby in order to meet the nutritional needs of the baby, unlike formula. Breastmilk is also uncontaminated by bacteria and is easier for the infant's stomach to digest. Infants who have been breast fed for at least eight months have reduced risks for:

* childhood cancers
* diarrheal diseases
* respiratory illness
* ear infections
* bacterial infections
* diabetes
* infant botulism
* Crohn's disease
* ulceratius colitis
* obesity
* SIDS
* cavities

"Breast is best," not only because it is healthier for the baby but also because it has benefits for the mother as well. Nursing mothers enjoy a reduced risk for both breast and ovarian cancer, osteoporosis, and weight loss. It has also been proven that mothers who breastfeed have an increase in confidence and ability in caring for their infant.

Other benefits of breastfeeding include convience and cost. Unlike formula, breastmilk is free! Parents who choose to formula feed their child spend an average of $800 per year, per baby on formula alone, not including the cost of bottles. Breastfeeding also decreases production of hazardous waste such as plastic bottles and rubber nipples, and it lowers health insurance premiums for everyone due to healthier babies.

Many women choose not to brestfeed because they say it hurts or their baby is not eating enough. The truth is that the breast naturally creates more than enough for the size of the infant's stomach. Most problems arise becuase mothers have not been taught how to show their babies how to latch on correctly. When the baby is latched on correctly, the nipple is usually far back in the infant's mounth and should cause no pain. When breastfeeding it is important that the infant not have any other fluids other than breastmilk, even water. Other fluids, objects like pacifiers, and even just one bottle of formula can lead to the "distraction" of the infant from breastfeeding and make it harder for the mother and the infant to breastfeed.