The benefits of breastfeeding
Lacie Manshack
Issue date: 7/22/10 Section: OP/ED
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When it comes down to what's healthiest for the infant it is ultimately breast milk. This is a fact that not that cannot be argued or negotiated. There are exceptions to every case of course; mothers who want to consume alcohol shouldn't breastfeed and there are sometimes medical complications that simply eliminate the possibility.
Breast milk is what the female body biologically produces to feed and nourish the infant. Just as the baby feeds off the mother from within the womb, it is naturally designed to continue this procedure after birth. Formula mimics the ingredients in breast milk, but it cannot replicate it exactly. DHA is a fatty acid that is vital to the brain and eye retina development that babies begin receiving in the third trimester. This is the essential ingredient found in breast milk that formulas are always advertising. When it comes to my child's brain development, I know I want to provide her with the real thing, not an imitation of it.
There is also the option of the breast pump, which would enable other people besides the mother to feed the baby as well with the mother's milk. I would highly recommend this because access to a bottle makes outings much more convenient and puts less stress on just the mother feeding the child.
One great advantage of breast feeding to the mother is that it rapidly speeds up weight loss. Everyone's body is different, but in my experience I gained 34 pounds throughout the pregnancy and lost 20 pounds the first week from solely breastfeeding. Within three months with partial breastfeeding I lost 10 more pounds. Weight loss after pregnancy also has to do with genes, diet, exercise and age but it's a fact that breastfeeding burns at least 350-500 extra calories per day.
Although it's supposed to be a natural process, it can be a very challenging concept to execute. Speaking from personal experience I can say that it takes a lot of patience, trial and error. The hardest thing about breastfeeding is probably that it puts most of the work on the mother. When an infant is strictly relying on breast milk, the mother is the only person able to feed him or her. This means that she is the one who has to wake up every two to three hours every night. The breast pump I mentioned before can help.
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