Breastfeeding is beneficial for the child and mother

Expecting a new baby, a young mother not only selects a name and is considering how to design a children's room. It should make another important choice - to decide whether to feed the baby herself or to use artificial feeding.

In third world countries artificial feeding can be deadly for the child because of lack of clean water needed to wash the bottle and dilute the feeds. In developed countries, women are often difficult to reconcile with the work of feeding the newborn.

Ask any doctor, and he will say that breastfeeding is better for the child and mother. Even women who resort to artificial nutrition, believe that breast milk is better.

So why do women use artificial mixture?

American pediatrician Robert Baker calls the two main reasons.

"Women do not breastfeed, because it creates an inconvenience. The main reasons - uncomfortable and shy, "- says Baker. "If any artificial feeding can take a bottle and feed the child.

This is especially important for working women who leave their children in the care of strangers during the day.

"Breastfeeding is especially inconvenient for working mothers", - says Baker. - "We have to express milk at work, it is rather cumbersome.

Some women give up breastfeeding makes modesty. "They just do not like to do it", - explains Baker.

However, the benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh any inconvenience. That's what the American pediatricians recommend:

* Up to 6 months, feed the child only breast milk. Then, continue to give him, gradually introducing solid foods.
* Go to sleep next to the child to feed at night it was easier.
* In the period of feeding (and beyond) to periodically visit mammologist to check if there are tumors in the mammary glands.
* If you are hearing and addressed the issue of parents' divorce, the appointment of guardianship or other reasons requiring separate the child from the mother, supports all efforts aimed at the continuation of breastfeeding.
* Adoptive mothers pediatrician may tell you about the benefits of induced, or artificially induced, lactation (it is achieved through hormone therapy or mechanical stimulation).
* Keep in mind that different peoples and different cultures, traditions and attitudes to breastfeeding vary.
* If the baby is fed breast milk, even if a pediatrician or other doctor examine him for 3 - 5 days after birth, and then at the age of 2 - 3 weeks. Thus we can see that the child is getting enough milk.

From a medical point of view, the answer is clear

Weighing the pros and cons from a medical point of view, Baker concludes that the pros of breastfeeding far outweigh the minuses. "

However, there are some problems, chief among which is related to deficiency in human milk vitamin D.

In order to prevent rickets, all children up to 2 months of age, including those who are breastfed should receive vitamin D. Daily intake of 200 IU (international units) of vitamin D can prevent the development of rickets - diseases associated with lack of mineralization and osteomalacia. His reason is the lack of child staying in the sun and in its lack of vitamin D.

"In breast milk is very little vitamin D», - says Baker. - "Often people think," If breast milk is ideal for children, why there is no vitamin D? ". It is important to bear in mind that our environment is changing very rapidly, much faster than before. "

Now, children spend less time in the sun, on the contrary, parents are trying to keep them in the shade. Use sunscreen to prevent development of vitamin D sunlight.

Another problem with breastfeeding is that breastfed child passed toxic substances from the environment. "We do not know how to influence the child substances from the environment", - says Baker. As an example, he cites a woman who has a lot of fish, and together with the fish in her body gets a large amount of mercury.

"There is always a danger that the round have any harmful substance," - says Baker.

Nevertheless, all that we know so far, shows that breast-feeding better than bottle-feeding.

"It is surprising that the companies producing infant formula flourish" - surprised Baker and stresses that all these years, manufacturers tried to mix them as close in composition to human milk.

Immune system

"Nevertheless, in the mixtures is always something missing", - says Baker. A key component that can not be replicated in infant formula - a substance that will strengthen the immunity of the child. It is not as important in developed countries, where is the fight against infectious diseases, and drinking water is clean enough. But in third world countries the importance of this factor can not be overemphasized.

In addition, breast-feeding to some extent, protects the child from allergies. Baker cites research that showed that breast feeding has a small but significant effect, reducing the risk of allergic reactions.

"But the risk is not reduced very much", - says Baker.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, breastfeeding reduces the risk and severity of some childhood diseases, such as ear infections and bacterial meningitis. Some studies show that it reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), diabetes, asthma and obesity. By the way, is also useful for mothers to breastfeed. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of such diseases as ovarian cancer and osteoporosis and femoral neck fractures in menopause.

Scientists continue to study the growth of the child. World Health Organization (WHO) is conducting research to identify new growth curves of children fed breast milk. The current growth curves summarize the data covering all children: those who were breastfed and those fed with artificial formula, said Baker. Children who are breastfed are larger in the first 6 months of life, but those who are fed artificial mixtures, overtaking them in the next 6 months.

All mothers are trying to give the child to understand that the night is for sleep, preferably uninterrupted. Children who are breastfed, it is easier to calm, says Baker

"When my kids were little and would wake up at night, I brought them to his wife, and she breastfed, while continuing to doze," - says Baker. - "It was much easier than getting up and warm up the bottle feeds." On the other hand, for women who do not have such a caring partner, the situation may be somewhat different.

When the child put out of my chest?

If a woman decided to breastfeed, it would have taken another important decision. When to start excommunicating the child from the breast?

"On this subject there is debate", - says Baker. Most doctors recommend breastfeeding for the first year of life. But for how long to give the child one of only breast milk? When start lure and offer other foods, such as oatmeal?

"I recommend a flexible approach. You can start with the lure 4-6 months. Preferably closer to 6 "- advises Baker. - "Some kids in 4 months will not be able to do this, but with 6 months to lure all the kids.

Often women go to work 6-8 weeks after birth. And to combine breastfeeding with responsibilities at work, to put it mildly, not easy: to do the job on time and attend all meetings, mothers often have to sleep enough.

"I'm always in favor of breastfeeding", - says Baker. - "It's good for the baby and mother. Society should do everything to help the woman. If she goes to work, you need to give it all the conditions for the continuation of breastfeeding.
Rx Mississippi