Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding Essay Example

of breastfeeding. The issue of significant reduction in the level of breastfeeding in the American society is a becoming a growing concern among many policymakers and this is due to the fact that breastfeeding comes with a lot of health benefits to both the mother and the baby hence a reduction in breastfeeding translating into huge health complication for the American people. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is of the view that new parents should breastfeed their babies for at least six months after giving birth after which the parents can decide either to continue breastfeeding or to use other alternative means such as formula feeding. This paper, therefore, tries to shed more light on the topic of breastfeeding and to give a reflective conclusion on whether women should be compelled to breastfeed their babies or whether alternative solution such as bottle feeding should be adopted.

According to a report released by Center for Disease Control and Prevention, only 74% of infants born in the United States were breastfed at least once after their mothers conceived them. The report further shows that only 32% of all infants born in U.S today are exclusively breastfed up to the age of 3 months while just 12% of the number of all infants being breastfed by their mother up to the age of 6 months. The report above shows the emerging trend of many American mothers preferring to use alternative methods to feed their babies instead of breastfeeding. Statistics shows that the problem of less breastfeeding among the American babies is more common among poor households whose parents are forced to work for many hours to increase their

daily income so as to cater efficiently for the needs of their families. The problem of minimum breastfeeding is also said to be much prevalent among the African-American population compared to the white Americans who prefer to breastfeed their babies rather than using formula feeding alternatives. From above analysis, it seems that race and income plays a vital role in influencing the trend of breastfeeding among the American mothers (Khalessi, & Reich, 2013). With the standards of living increasing significantly, people are forced to adopt various measures that can help them meet their daily demands. One of such alternatives is the aspect of working overtime so as to increase the daily wage. It is, however, disadvantageous to the mother who works overtime since she will lack enough time to properly and efficiently breastfeed her baby. The aspect of income, therefore, forces many women to prefer the use of formulae feeding as opposed to breastfeeding.

One of the importances of breastfeeding is that it enhances the creation of a unique natural bond between a mother and a child. Research study shows that when a woman breastfeeds her child, there is the enhancement of chemistry between the two in which the baby becomes attracted to the mother and vice versa. It is, therefore, important for mothers to breastfeed their babies so as to enhance the emotional closeness between the mother and the baby. Another significant benefit that is always associated with breastfeeding is that infants who are breastfed are always less vulnerable to become overweight or obese in their childhood, adolescent stage, or even in their adulthood.

The issue of obesity and overweight are currently some of the diseases

which are common among the American people and it is attributed to the lifestyle of an individual. Research indicates that with breastfeeding of the baby when young, the baby adopts proper body structure and thus limits his/her chances of being obese or being overweight in advance ages. According to the World Health Study on the importance of breastfeeding, the study found out that there is always a reduction in chances of contracting type 2 diabetes among children who are breastfed. The study specifically reveals that children who were breastfed when they were babies tend to have a decrease in chance of being type 2 diabetic patients by 12% (K., & Thom, 2010). Diabetes is one of the chronic diseases which significantly affect the lifestyle of individuals and children who have diabetes are the one who suffers the most since they will be forced to adopt a particular lifestyle which is significantly different from those of their counterparts. The study shows that the milk forms the breastfeeding mother is always integrated with some natural nutrients which help in increasing the production of the anti-diuretic hormone which regulates the permeability of the kidney hence determining the diabetic extent. By breastfeeding a child, the mother always transfers some of these nutrients into the baby which helps in reducing the chances of being diabetic, specifically type 2 diabetes.

Another importance of breastfeeding is that it is the milk is always easy to be digested by the weak digestive system of the baby as opposed to the formula feeds which requires much time for the food to be absorbed by the body (Emily, 2014). The problem with such formula feeds is

that it makes the baby to be vulnerable to experience constipation and become gassy most of the time, issues which are less experienced if the child is breastfed. The aspect of breastfeeding has been proved to significantly lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome a disease which is always common in the first year of the baby’s life (Byard, 2013). The next importance of breastfeeding is on the aspect of intelligence. A research study conducted shows that children who were efficiently breastfed in their early days are always more intelligent and embrace a high level of critical thinking as opposed to children who were formula fed who in most cases are redundant and always slow when it comes to grasping new ideas.

Despite its numerous biological and health benefits, breastfeeding is also associated with some minor challenges and negative issues which inhibit women from regularly breastfeeding their babies. The process of breastfeeding can be very difficult in scenarios where the mother faces emotional instability such as death of a loved one (Emily, 2014). Breastfeeding can also be extremely painful in case the mother is feeding the baby for the first time in which the baby may be unable to latch properly thus leaving the mother with raw, bleeding nipples which in most cases may bring the element of pain to the mum. In other instances, some women are always seen to have limited milk and may, therefore, be unable to naturally generate enough milk to help breastfeed the baby (www.theguardian.com). Research shows that approximately three out of every ten mothers that give birth today are always unable to generate enough milk that may be used

in breastfeeding. Breastfeeding to some extent always promote the chances of the mother contacting breast cancer (Akbari et al, 2011). Another significant challenge associated with breastfeeding is that it reduces the productivity of women in the workplace since the mother always have to set aside some work time to go and breastfeed the baby. This reduces the productivity of the new mum and even translating into low performance of the firm where the mother is employed. It such disadvantages associated with breastfeeding that makes women to opt for formula feeding.

Formula feeding is considered the best alternative when breastfeeding becomes ineffective or when the mother doesn’t have enough time or milk to breastfeed the baby. The process comes with a lot of nutrition which is vital in improving the life of the baby despite the fact that the formula feeding is an artificial process. Notwithstanding the fact that formula feeding may not be like the mother’s natural milk, scientific research and innovation has enabled babies to be fortunate to access exquisite formula products which are carefully produced and satisfies the high standard requirements for its consumption (Cari, 2015). One advantage about formula feeding is the fact that it is a source of high level of nutrition and a healthy alternative to breastfeeding as compared to cow’s milk or even evaporated milk which were initially used as an alternative to breast milk. Another benefit of formula feeding is that the mother can always arrange an infant-feeding schedule in prior and undertake her personal activities or work related activities without necessarily having to check the baby most of the time.

With the current business world requiring high value addiction

and productivity from each worker even the mothers, the use of formula feeding can be very effective in helping such mothers minimize the time they could waste in breastfeeding their babies, and this is because they will just have to arrange with others to help them take care of the babies thanks to the presence of formula feeding. This helps them to concentrate on their work and thus improve their productivity in the firm. In many occasions, parents disregards the use of formula feeding claiming that such process doesn’t enhance the emotional closeness and the special bond between the mother and the baby. This is however very untrue because even with the use of formula feeding, the mother can always have a special relationship between her and the child simply by caring and being close with the baby most of the time so as to earn the trust and the loyalty of the new baby. By doing this, the baby will always be attracted to the mother and vice versa hence enhancing the bond between the two.

Just like every coin has its two sides, the use of formula feeding also has its related negative issues which reduce its application. One of the limitations of the formula feed is that is always costly and may mean that the parents have to dig deep in the pocket to find some amount to purchase these products. The other negative issue is that formula feeding lack all the essential nutrients that are found in breast milk, and this means that a baby may not get the same immune protection when using the formula feeding as compared to the high

immune protection that is associated with breastfeeding. As a result of such disparities when it comes to immune protection, babies who are formula fed are always at greater risk of infection especially during the first two years of life (www.livescience.com).

Conclusion

Based on the above analysis, it is evident that both breastfeeding and formula feeding have both their respective positive benefits and also adverse effects. It is also emerging from the above analysis that breastfeeding is far better and much critical in improving the immune system of the baby. It is, however, important to note that despite the fact that breastfeeding being the best, several a factors may force a mother to opt for formula feeding instead of breastfeeding. It is, therefore, correct to conclude that mothers should always ensure that they breastfeed their children at least for six months before using the formula feeding.

Reference

1. Akbari, A., Razzaghi, Z., Homaee, F., Khayamzadeh, M., Movahedi, M., & Akbari, M. E. (2011). Parity and breastfeeding are preventive measures against breast cancer in Iranian women. Breast Cancer, 18(1), 51-55.
2. Byard, R. W. (2013). Breastfeeding and sudden infant death syndrome. Journal of paediatrics and child health, 49(4), E353-E353.
3. Cari Nierenberg. June 2015. Breast vs. Bottle: Weighing Infant-Feeding Options. Live Science. Retrieved from www.livescience.com › Health. Accessed on 22nd November, 2016.
4. Emily Maclean. March 2014. Breastfeeding versus baby formula is not an either or debate. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com › Lifestyle › Breastfeeding. Accessed on 22nd October, 2016.
5. Khalessi, A., & Reich, S. M. (2013). A month of breastfeeding associated with greater adherence to paediatric nutrition guidelines. Journal of reproductive and infant psychology, 31(3), 299-308.
6. Schwarz, E. B., Brown, J. S., Creasman, J. M., Stuebe, A., McClure,
   

C. K., Van Den Eeden, S. K., & Thom, D. (2010). Lactation and maternal risk of type 2 diabetes: a population-based study. The American journal of medicine, 123(9), 863-e1.