Students Name
Professors Name
Course
Date
Benefits of Breast Feeding
Breast-feeding involves feeding young children, mostly babies, with milk from the mother. This is not the only ultimate method of feeding children, but instead, there are other methods such as using processed milk. Research shows. However, breast milk is far more critical than any other food to babies. This paper will tackle the importance of breastfeeding to the baby and for the mother.
The first reason for breastfeeding is that the milk serves as one in all nutrition in that it contains all the carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and other minerals required by the baby. The temperature of the milk is suitable to keep the body temperature of the baby at par.
Breast milk also contains cells, hormones, and antibodies that protect the baby from illnesses. The baby would, therefore, have low risks of allergies, infections, and diseases from the environment.
Breastfeeding also has several benefits to the mother too. During breastfeeding, there is a bonding that sets between the mother and the baby. It also enables the mother to lose weight gained during pregnancy. This is because breastfeeding burns about three hundred to five hundred calories a day (Moss, Brian G., and William H. Yeaton, pp1229). It also causes the production of oxytocin, a hormone that causes the contraction of the uterus.
Breastfeeding also keeps the mother safe from diseases such as breast and ovarian cancer by lowering the risks involved with it. The oxytocin also encourages relaxation and bonding between the mother and the child. Other health benefits include are reducing the likelihood of the development of postpartum depression.
Breast milk has been known to save money and time. First of all, it is free since it only requires the mother to eat well and the milk forms. This would have saved the money of having to go and buy food for the baby, which is usually very expensive.
It saves on time since the mother doesn’t have to calculate the amounts the baby is to drink regularly. This would also include the time spent is sterilizing bottles, mixing and warming up bottles day and night.
It also saves on medical costs. This is because breast milk reduces the risks of contracting infections for the baby. Therefore, the chances of getting sick are low. There will be no time for visiting clinics often for checkups or treatments except for the regular clinic visits.
The only condition that would inhibit breastfeeding is unavoidable situations. These include jobs that would put the baby in a dangerous state. For example, when the mother has diseases that are most likely to be transmitted to the baby. These include conditions like HIV/AIDS, Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus 1 and 2, Tuberculosis, and herpes.
Some of these diseases are not transmitted through breast milk, but breastfeeding increases the chances (Bar, Sari, Milanaik, &Adesman, pp560). For example, herpes, unless the mother has lesions, the disease would be passed to the baby through direct contact.
In conclusion, we would all agree that breastfeeding is the best way of feeding the baby in their early development. This is because it not only has benefits to the baby but to the mother also. The majority of the benefits are to be found on other sources of feeding. It is the best for the baby since it is multipurpose, from serving as food for growth and development to medicine and to
prevention against infection.
Work Cited
Bar, Sari, Milanaik, and Adesman. “Long-term neurodevelopmental benefits of breastfeeding.” Current opinion in pediatrics 28.4 (2016): 559-566.
Moss, Brian G., and William H. Yeaton. “Early childhood healthy and obese weight status: potentially protective benefits of breastfeeding and delaying solid foods.” Maternal and child health journal 18.5 (2014): 1224-1232.