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Does it really matter whether you breastfeed or bottle feed your baby? Is there really a difference?
Perhaps the number one reason to breastfeed your baby is this: Breast milk offers your child the most perfect nourishment needed for his developing body. It also protects your baby against ailments now, in the present, and also in the future. Although baby formula includes all the essentials needed for baby growth, scientists have yet to discover, understand or even replicate many of the protective elements found in breast milk. Perhaps manufacturers will never be able to create a perfect alternative to breast milk, ever.
Many people, as well as scientists in the past, used to assume that the reason a bottle-fed baby was prone to more illnesses was because of the many opportunities for contamination in the feeding process. Where as a breastfed baby simply needs to latch onto its mothers breast and eat, a bottle-fed baby is exposed to the outer elements that take place during the preparation of baby formula. From the formula scooper, to the bottle, to the water used, to the artificial nipple suckled on, to the possibility of the prepared formula sitting out for a while before being drunk again; all of this offers ample opportunity for the invasion of bacteria.
But no matter how sterilized the procedure was made, bottle feeding a baby still resulted in higher rates of infections (of the ear, urinary tract and respiratory system), diarrhea and even meningitis, compared to a breastfed child. Failure to prove their theory led to a deeper search for the reason why breast feeding a baby led to a healthier baby.
Since then, researches have come to produce volumes and volumes of proof relating to the superiority of breastfeeding over bottle feeding. A few reasons as to why:
- Breast milk provides your newborn baby with important antibodies needed to protect him from all sorts of infections, as well as rashes and certain signs of allergies. Colostrum, a cloudy liquid that precedes breast milk by a few days, is even more loaded with the mother’s antibodies.
- Your baby receives all the nutrients he needs in his first year of life from your breast milk. And although a mother’s diet influences the levels of specific vitamins and minerals found in the breast milk, the nutritional values in the milk are, for the most part, protected and remain at sufficient levels.
- Because your body’s milk supply is produced by demand (of your baby), it is just about impossible to overfeed your baby while exclusively breastfeeding. Even if your child appears to be getting chubby or fat, he will more than likely lose the unnecessary weight through weaning.
If you are taking any medications and plan on breast feeding your baby, be sure to check with your doctor before doing so. Some medications can easily pass from your bloodstream into your milk and affect your child.
As a breastfeeding mother, you will need to drink plenty of fluids (anywhere from 2 to 3 quarts of water a day), and also up your calorie intake by 300 (over the recommended dietary allowance for your physique). This can be done easily by incorporating an extra small meal in your day, or even snacking occasionally throughout the day. Try to make healthy eating choices and eat a balanced diet whenever possible. For those of you who find this difficult, consider taking a multivitamin supplement (with iron) while breastfeeding. If you are a vegetarian, you may also want to consider additional supplements, such as iron and vitamin B12.
