Child
Development and Public Health
Breastfeeding
I chose the topic of breastfeeding. This method of
feeding babies has become very popular with mothers today. I knew about breastfeeding when I
was giving birth to my children. However I always chose bottle feeding because
of convinces. The benefits of breastfeeding to the baby were not expressed. My
oldest daughter gave birth to a premature baby girl and of courses she had to
breastfeed. My daughter also had to pump and store her milk. So I did some
research on breastfeeding to see what I and my babies missed out on.
Breastfeeding were not promoted back in the days the way it is now and the benefits
were not explained the way they are now. .
I found out the experience of breastfeeding is
special for so many reasons the bonding that take place between mother and
child, the health benefits for both mother and baby, and the saving from not
having to buy milk.
The first breast milk is called colostrum (liquid
gold) the thick yellow first breast milk
that women makes during pregnancy and just after birth. This milk is very rich
in nutrients and antibodies to protect babies. The baby gets a small amount of colostrum at
each feeding, it matches the amount his or her tiny stomach can hold. Colostrum
changes into what is called mature milk. By the third to fifth day after birth,
this mature breast milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein to help the baby continue to grow.
It is a thinner type of milk than colostrum, but it provides all of the
nutrients and antibodies the baby needs. Breast milk is easier for babies to
digest. The protein in formula comes from cow milk and it takes longer for baby’s
stomach to adjust to digesting it.
Beast milk helps babies to fight diseases. The cell,
hormones, and antibodies in breast milk protect babies from many illnesses. Ear
infections and diarrhea are more common in babies who are formula. Research
shows breastfeeding can reduce the risk of Type 1 diabetes, childhood leukemia,
and atopic dermatitis. Breastfeeding has also been shown to lower the risk of
SID (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
The physical contact the baby received during
breastfeeding help the baby to feel secure, warm and comforted while the mother
and child bonds. If I had to do over I would breastfeed my children for that
bonding and health benefits.
Reference
Breastfeeding, www.womenhealth.gov
Re-Establishing
a Breastfeeding Culture in South Africa
There is a hospital named Murchison Hospital in West
Cape South Africa that promotes breastfeeding through a program called Baby
Friendly that was establish in 1999. This program encourages mothers to
breastfeed. It provides training and assistance to mother and their babies. There circumstances in which a mother cannot
breast. The high HIV positive incidence among young women has presented a serious
challenge for the health workers. Women are informed and encourage to breastfeed
their babies under certain condition.
The health care worker inform mothers not to mix feed their babies even
when they are begin told to do so by the older women. Many women in this urban
area sees bottle feeding as a status symbol.
There is a war in this area and it is over breastfeeding
and bottle feeding. Many of the doctor in this area has made deals with the formulas’
makers to get there patients to use formulas but we know breast milk is more beneficial
to the healthy development of the babies.
There are no nurseries at this hospital it believes
in Kangaroo Mother care they want the women to know babies grow through love
and breast milk. You would think everyone would promote breastfeeding because this
is the best for babies but there are doctors and other who promotes formulas’
for financial gain.
Reference
Re-Establishing Breastfeeding Culture
in South African
I have enjoyed reading the information you posted about the "war" that is happening in South Africa regarding breast feeding versus bottle feeding. I understand the benefits of breast feeding in regard to bonding, health and attachment but if regard to the HIV infection you have to wonder if breast feeding would be best in this area. This would be a topic of discussion that would warrant much research and review.
ReplyDeleteBreast milk is widely acknowledged as the most complete form of nutrition for infants, with a range of benefits for infants' health, growth, immunity and development. Studies have demonstrated a number of important health benefits to breastfeeding. Among them:
ReplyDelete• Breast-fed children are more resistant to disease and infection early in life than formula-fed children
• Breast-fed children are less likely to contract a number of diseases later in life, including juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and cancer before the age of 15
• Mothers who breastfeed are less likely to develop osteoporosis later in life, are able to lose weight gained during pregnancy more easily and have a lower risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer
It provides a number of health advantages beginning at birth and continuing throughout a child's life. In fact, a large number of the health problems today's children face might be decreased, or even prevented, by breastfeeding the infant exclusively for at least the first six months of life. The longer the mother breastfeeds, the more likely her child will get the health benefits of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding also has economic advantages: it's cheaper than buying formula and helps avoid medical bills later because it helps equip the baby to fight off disease and infection. New parents are well advised to learn all they can about the pros and cons of breast milk and formula.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that mothers breastfeed for at least the first year of a child's life and continue until they both feel they are ready to stop. In the first six months, the baby should be nourished exclusively by breast milk.
Resources:
Healthy People 2010, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Center for Disease Control – Retrieved on November 9, 2013 from: http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/resources/guide.htm
The American Academy of Pediatrics Retrieved on November 9, 2013 from: http://www2.aap.org/breastfeeding/sectionOnBreastfeeding.html
I agree that breast feeding is the best option for the baby. I started out trying to breast feed my baby when at the hospital. The staff did not make it easy on me. I had a breastfeeding coach trying to help me get my daughter to latch on but she would not latch on. I also had her to put signs on the door when breastfeeding so I could have privacy but different staff members kept coming in even with the door having the sign up. I was also told that one of the caregivers gave my daughter sugar water one of the times when she was supposed to be directly breast feed only. The hospitals do not make it easy for new moms to breast feed their child. Sometimes there are parents who want to breast feed but are not able to for different reasons.
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