Advantages of Breast-Feeding to Formula Feeding in Infants - Essay Example

? Advantages of Breast-feeding to Formula Feeding in Infants Breast-feeding is the situation in which the baby or the infants obtain milk food directly from their mother’s breasts without giving any additional external food, solid or liquid (Wolf, 2010). Breast-feeding is encouraged for a non-stop period of six months after birth, this is according to the Word Heath Organization (WHO). This period should be absolutely be for natural breast feeding without any other form of feeding (Riordan, 2005). After this period, mothers can continue giving breast milk for a minimum period of one year or extend to two years based on the willingness of the mother and the child. The exception for breast-feeding can only be warranted if the mother is diagnosed positive with the viral infection, HIV/AIDS or is under medication that may affect the quality of the mother’s milk (Fredregill, Fredregill, & Staff, 2007). Breast-feeding has been known to derive enormous advantages to the infants as well as to the mothers. The advantages accrued by the baby are very important as their systems still needs adjustment in terms of immunological, physiological, and metabolism functions (Fredregill, Fredregill, & Staff, 2007). The infants systems still need assistance to develop in order to be independent. One of the advantages of breast-feeding to the infants is its ability to pass antibodies into the infants from the mothers, this helps in confering immunological protection to the baby. Antibodies are immunological substances that are elicited upon intrusion into the body by foreign substances called antigens (Riordan, 2005). The antigens are able to evoke physiological departure in the body if the actions of the antibodies are hindered or not operational. The infants find themselves in the situation where they do not have a fully developed immune system and are thus vulnerable to any antigen that may access the body (Wolf, 2010). There are two types of immune system the innate and the acquired, all these are not fully developed, the infants thus depends on the breast-milk for the protection. The breast-milk contains the immunological protection in the form of IgA (Immunoglobulin A) (Wolf, 2010). It is transmitted from the mother’s milk direct to the baby’s system. The IgA is able to confer protection on infections caused by microorganisms, there are other forms of protection that are passed along with the mother’s milk (Wolf, 2010). Lactoferrin contains factors that binds to Iron and inhibits the growth of intestinal bacteria, there is also the bile salt stimulated lipase that confers protection against amoeba. Breast milk is thus a very important immunological tool to the infants as it enables the infants to navigate the disease prone environment before establishing their own immunological defense (Riordan, 2005). Breast-feeding also has the advantage compared to formula feeding in that it is free, breast milk naturally comes from the mother provided she consumed some food earlier. This is contrary to the formula feeding that needs to be purchased and thus would require extra cost (Wolf, 2010). Breast-milk also provide an altered nutrient composition as the colostrums always provides a complete diet with all the constituents of a balanced diet, in the bottle-milk, only desired constituent may be available for purchase therefore do not provide all round nutrient food. Mothers’ milk also provides a stable temperature food for the baby as it assumes the temperature of the body, this is very rare in the artificial alternatives (Fredregill, Fredregill, & Staff, 2007). Breast-milk as opposed to other forms of infant feedings provides the basic nutritional values coupled with the ease of digestion. These qualities of breast milk have made it to be referred to as a perfect food as it is easily digested by the infant’s undeveloped system (Walker, 2010). The breast-milk is rich in Protein (whey and casein), fats, and lactose (Fredregill, Fredregill, & Staff, 2007). The provision of fat rich milk through protein is very essential in the development of the infant’s brains. Research has shown that the infants of the genus homo need more fats during the neonatal stage and in the postnatal stage. The availability of more fats in the adipose tissue confers two cardinal protections for the infants, it ensures that the infants are free from disease attacks and the oxidation of the fats provides for the development of the brain cells during the subsequent growth and development (Andres, 2010). As the digestive system of the infants is also not well developed, breast-milk provides the best remedy for the situation contrary to the bottled-milk that is prone to diarrhea and constipation. Infants that consume the formula milk have constant constipation and diarrhea that drains the body fluid and can prove fatal at times (Mohrbacher, 2009). The natural milk from mothers is also rich in diverse nature of the vitamins with the exception of vitamin D that is mostly provided by the sunlight. Vitamin D is obtained directly from the sunlight through the skin though not advisable for infants that are less than one year old to be exposed as it risk the m from developing damages of the skin (Size & Webb, 2006). During this period the infants get the supply of the vitamin from the mother’s milk that are naturally endowed with the elements of vitamin D. The provision of the breast milk is so unique that even as the companies that manufacture formula options are under regulation to produce a replica of the natural one, they have found it a tall order as to mimic the natural composition of the milk is impossible. This is because the milk contains several substances that are difficult to integrate in the artificial one and some other constituents are not yet known (Wolf, 2010). The fact that breast milk is free can be looked into in very many aspects, first it is obtained from the mother free of charge, and not a single penny is paid to acquire it as long as the mother had made consumptions hours earlier. Following the researches that have been done, it is confirmed that infants that are fed on natural milk seldom have ear infection as opposed to those who are formula fed (Mohrbacher, 2009). In essence, it means that there will be little money spent on medical prescriptions and medications in infants fed on natural mother’s milk. In connection with that, working mothers will not have to take most trips off duty taking their babies to the doctor’s office (Fredregill, Fredregill, & Staff, 2007). Mother’s milk comes with several goodies that are free in the end; this is opposed to the formula one where one has to foot all the bills starting from purchase of the infant’s food to medications aspect of it (Mohrbacher, 2009). In comparing the mother’s milk and the formula one, it is obvious that the mother’s natural milk provides varieties of tastes from the mother than they can acquire from any other source (Wolf, 2010). Lactating mothers require up to about 500 extra calories in a day to compensate for the portion that will be utilized by the baby. In achieving these extra calories, mothers have to eat varieties of foods stuffs that are endowed with different kinds of nutrient constituents and finally, the diverse nutrient will be availed to the baby. A very rare phenomenon that cannot be obtained in the formulated foods (Walker, 2010). Dependant on the mother’s milk brings convenience to the breast feeders in the sense that for those who are doing the natural breast feeding, they tend to avoid the last minute rush in to the shops for the purchase of the formula one, at times they may be out of stock and this would imply extra distance to get one. The natural feeding will also reduce the tedious process of warming the milk in the middle of the night (Size & Webb, 2006). The human body as well regulates its temperature and the milk is always at the best temperature for the baby to consume (Size & Webb, 2006). In administering the mothers breast-feeding, both enjoys the skin-to-skin contact that is conspicuously missing in the other ways of feeding the infants. The skin-to-skin contact brings about the intimate emotional connection between the mother and the child; this is soothing for the child and the mother as both enjoy the experience of the bonding while breast feeding (Fredregill, Fredregill, & Staff, 2007). Researches also argue that breast-feeding is one way of reducing obesity in infants. Other forms of feeding contain unproportional combination of nutrients that causes imbalance for calories that are burnt and stored in the body leading to the occurrence of obesity (Riordan, 2005). In most countries, child obesity has become a public health hazard and mitigation measures are on the rife to ensure subsequent development of obesity is prevented. Obesity is a good recipe for the development of other medical conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and coronary disorders. Infants fed on the mother’s natural milk are said to have a higher IQ than those that are formula fed according to researchers (Mohrbacher, 2009). Breast feeding advantages are not only limited to the infants, mothers too have there share of advantages. One of the most important advantages of the breast feeding to mothers is that it builds the cofedence in mothers about their ability to nourish their babies (Riordan, 2005). Besides that, breast feeding also allows mothers to burn extra calories thus reducing cases of obesity and will be able also to reduce the utterus size enabling them to regain their prepregnacy shape and mass (Mohrbacher, 2009). In addition, breast feeding help curb several medical conditions such like breast cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure. Through breast feeding, one is able to keep at a bay ovarian and uterine cancer (Mohrbacher, 2009). With all the advantages mothers get from breast feeding, there are a few diadvantages that comes with breast feeding. New mothers in breast feeding do complain of the personal comfort while breast feeding, there has been complains of the tidiousness of the exercise but with constant education regarding breast feeding techniques disseminated to the mothers, they have since appreciated the need for breast feeding and no longer view it as a problem (Andres, 2010). Again, it is no doubt that breast feeding is time demanding and mothers with infants are fearing that with the tight schedule of breast feeding, there time to run other errands will be occupied by feeding the babies.The frequency with which infants who are fed on breast milk is usually higher compared to other forms of feedings like formula (Andres, 2010). This is because natural milk from the mothers are easy to digest unlike the formulated ones. Finally breast feeding is very seensitive about the kind of meal the mother takes as it fully depends on the food value consumed by the mothers (Andres, 2010). Poor diet will translate to the infants and vise versa. Refeerence List Andres, P 2010 Controversy About Breastfeeding, Pennsylvania: Dorrance Publishing. Print. Fredregill, S., Fredregill, R., & Staff, C. B 2007, Breastfeeding: Lifesaving Techniques and Advice for Every Stage of Nursing, Adams Media. Print. Mohrbacher, N.2009, Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers: Easyread Large Edition, ReadHowYouWant.com. Print. Riordan, J 2005, Breastfeeding and Human Lactation. London: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Print. Size, F S , & Webb, F. S 2006, Nutrition: concepts and controversies. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Print. Walker, M 2010, Breastfeeding Management for the Clinician: Using the Evidence, London: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Print. Wolf, J2010, Is Breast Best?: Taking on the Breastfeeding Experts and the New High Stakes of Motherhood, New York: NYU Press. Print. Read More