When I was a new mom, I remember asking Nanny, my mom's mom, if she breastfed. She explained that at that time formula was thought to be better for the baby. A lot of research has been done over the last 100 years on breast milk, and here are a few of the highlights that I've learned and been impressed by.
*If someone with a cold comes near a baby or say kisses the baby, when the mom kisses that baby her body begins to make antibodies for the baby to fight off the cold.
*Breast milk is specially made just for the baby's need at that time including volume and what is in it.
*What a new mom eats goes into the baby's milk, so the baby is gets a flavor for how your family eats. Because the milk changes based on what you eat, he or she is less likely to be a picky eater.
*I saved a chart from our birthing class that compares breast milk and formula. Formula had 7 ingredients, and breast milk had 48 more ingredients like enzymes that help digest the food, growth factors which stimulate growth, hormones that regulate metabolism, tons of antibacterial factors that protect against infection, antiviral factors to protect against viruses, and things to help protect against parasites and allergies.
*Breastfeeding moms who breastfeed for at least 6 months are less likely to have breast and cervical cancer.
*Breastfeeding is WAY cheaper than formula.
*Breastfeeding helps the mom and baby to bond.
*Breastfeeding helps to take off the pregnancy weight.
Is it easy to breastfeed, well yes and no. For me there were initial struggles, but once Eliana and I got the hang of things, life was much easier. A friend gave me great advice before Eliana came. She said that you have to decide before hand to breastfeed, because there will come a time when it is hard, can be painful, and/or the baby isn't breastfeeding well. You don't want to decide then if breastfeeding is best. The first few days I thought I was doing okay and things would be fine. Somewhere before 2 weeks, I hit that wall of, "Oh man, this is way harder than I thought!" I was glad Kyle supported me in breastfeeding, and that I had others around me to encourage me.
I understand that there are times when formula is helpful. I have a friend whose premature son needed the breast milk, because his mom wasn't making enough. Another friend's son wasn't growing up to par, and so he is supplemented with formula. I understand that there are reasons for formula. My purpose in writing is to shed some light on the benefits of breast feeding with the hope that it will encourage new moms to consider breast feeding.
*If someone with a cold comes near a baby or say kisses the baby, when the mom kisses that baby her body begins to make antibodies for the baby to fight off the cold.
*Breast milk is specially made just for the baby's need at that time including volume and what is in it.
*What a new mom eats goes into the baby's milk, so the baby is gets a flavor for how your family eats. Because the milk changes based on what you eat, he or she is less likely to be a picky eater.
*I saved a chart from our birthing class that compares breast milk and formula. Formula had 7 ingredients, and breast milk had 48 more ingredients like enzymes that help digest the food, growth factors which stimulate growth, hormones that regulate metabolism, tons of antibacterial factors that protect against infection, antiviral factors to protect against viruses, and things to help protect against parasites and allergies.
*Breastfeeding moms who breastfeed for at least 6 months are less likely to have breast and cervical cancer.
*Breastfeeding is WAY cheaper than formula.
*Breastfeeding helps the mom and baby to bond.
*Breastfeeding helps to take off the pregnancy weight.
Is it easy to breastfeed, well yes and no. For me there were initial struggles, but once Eliana and I got the hang of things, life was much easier. A friend gave me great advice before Eliana came. She said that you have to decide before hand to breastfeed, because there will come a time when it is hard, can be painful, and/or the baby isn't breastfeeding well. You don't want to decide then if breastfeeding is best. The first few days I thought I was doing okay and things would be fine. Somewhere before 2 weeks, I hit that wall of, "Oh man, this is way harder than I thought!" I was glad Kyle supported me in breastfeeding, and that I had others around me to encourage me.
I understand that there are times when formula is helpful. I have a friend whose premature son needed the breast milk, because his mom wasn't making enough. Another friend's son wasn't growing up to par, and so he is supplemented with formula. I understand that there are reasons for formula. My purpose in writing is to shed some light on the benefits of breast feeding with the hope that it will encourage new moms to consider breast feeding.
4 comments:
Breast feeding is the best gift a mommy can give her baby :) colostrum the first milk coats the baby's digestive track which helps provide protection thought the baby's whole life. Breast feeding also helps develop the baby's jaw and proper tongue use all throughout life.
God has given us an amazing gift in human breast milk!!
Thanks LaMonica for sharing! Some of my first thoughts about breastfeeding being better than formula for a baby came from conversations we had 9 years ago.
I have breastfed all 6 of my children and feel so blessed to have that opportunity. Some pros that I have noticed over the years-1) no worrying about "did I choose the right brand/kind of formula?" 2) no worrying about mixing the wrong amount of formula and water 3) no spending excess amounts of money trying to find the "right" bottle and nipple 4) no fumbling around in the middle if the night to make a bottle 5) knowing that the nearly 80months of breastfeeding has lowered my risk for breast, ovarian and cervical cancers 6) confidence in knowing that I have given my kids the healthiest start in life....There is a need for formula I understand however not in mainstream society and definitely not in my home. Thanks for writing this Tasha and bringing to light some of the MANY benefits of breastfeeding and sending encouragement to other moms :-)
Thanks Deneal for your input! I'm way impressed that you breastfed for 80 months. I at first thought it was a typo, but then I remembered that you fed 6 kids.
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