Pros and Cons of Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the act of giving a baby, or small children breast milk. Babies are unable to feed on natural foods that a normal human being feeds on, that’s why breastfeeding is much preferred. Breastfeeding can be beneficial to both the mother and the baby.
Advantages of Breastfeeding
Provision of Ideal Nutrients
Breastfeeding is a source of nutrients for the baby. Continuous breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months after birth. Breast milk contains a fluid known as colostrum, which is available during the first week after birth (Mittal & Mehta, 2018). Colostrum is a thick yellow fluid rich in proteins, low sugar levels, and rich in substantial body forming requirements. Colostrum helps in the formation of the digestion track. After a few days of breastfeeding, the baby’s stomach enlarges to accommodate a large amount of milk produced by the mother.
Reduces Disease Risk
Breast milk is rich in antibodies that help the baby to fight external infection, bacteria, and viruses. Colostrum contains immunoglobin which helps to fight bacteria. Immunoglobin produces a protective layer in the nose, throat, and digestive system, which prevents the baby from falling sick (Mittal & Mehta, 2018). When a breastfeeding mother gets infected with a particular disease, they provide their babies with antibodies through breastfeeding that helps them to fight pathogens causing that kind of infection. Research showed that breastfeeding for more than three months reduces the chances of the baby getting infected with middle ear infections by 50%, it also reduces respiratory diseases up to 72%, and an excessive breastfed baby was at a lower risk of being infected with cold infections. Some of the critical conditions which could be avoided by a certain percentage through breastfeeding are diabetes, childhood leukemia, sudden infant deaths, and respiratory infections.
Promotes Healthy Weight
Breastfeeding baby has good health and is not likely to suffer from obesity. Research showed that formula-based babies are likely to suffer from obesity, unlike breastfed babies (Eidelman, 2019). Duration of breastfeeding is determinative in weight gain of the baby, each month a mother breastfeeds her baby, reduces the chance of the baby being obese in the future by 4-5%. Breastfeeding also helps the baby regulate their eating patterns, and they only eat to their satisfaction.
Makes Children Smart
Breastfeeding babies have great brain development, this is different from babies who use bottle breastfeeding (Irfan, 2019). Research has proved that breastfeeding babies have a higher response to learning activities while growing up, and are less likely to experience difficulties like the formula fed babies who have a high risk of development issues, this is experienced due to lack of physical closeness and eye contact between the mother and the child while feeding. Research has proven that breastfeeding has a significant impact on brain growth.
Helps in Weight Loss
Breastfeeding women have a higher chance of losing weight more than women who are not breastfeeding. Breastfeeding raises a mother’s demand for energy by around 400-600 calories every day. Breastfeeding women experience hormonal imbalance (Mittal & Mehta, 2018). Due to the hormonal imbalance, breastfeeding women experience a rapid rise in appetite and are more likely to store fats which help in the production of milk. After a few months of breastfeeding, a lactating woman is expected to experience the burning of calories. After breastfeeding for about 3-6 months breastfeeding mothers have shown high weight loss. Regardless of whether breastfeeding or not, diet and exercise are essential in regulating a person’s weight.
Helps in Uterus Contraction
After a woman gets pregnant, her uterus expands covering the whole space in her abdomen. As the pregnancy grows, there is a production of a hormone known as oxytocin. After delivery, oxytocin helps in reduction of the uterus to its standard size (Eidelman, 2019). During breastfeeding the amount of oxytocin is produced in large amounts, which allows uterus contraction, and reduce bleeding.
Lower Risk of Depression
After giving birth, women are likely to suffer from a depression known as postpartum depression. Breastfeeding mothers are likely to avoid postpartum depression more than mothers who avoid breastfeeding at all, or breastfeed for a short period (Eidelman, 2019). During breastfeeding, the mother experiences hormonal changes, which helps in bonding between the child and the mother. Oxytocin, produced while giving birth and breastfeeding helps in bonding by triggering specific brain regions that aid in relaxation.
Reduction of Disease Risk
Breastfeeding helps in the reduction of chances of suffering from cancer, and other diseases. Research has shown that women who breastfeed have a lower chance of being infected with breast, and ovarian cancer (Mittal & Mehta, 2018). Breastfeeding also reduces the chances of suffering from heart diseases, a condition known as metabolic syndrome. Women who breastfeed for more than two years are less likely to suffer from high blood pressure, arthritis, and high blood fats.
Prevent Menstruation
Women who breastfeed for an extended period, are likely to experience ovulation pause. Ovulation pause prevents another pregnancy from occurring immediately after giving birth, or during the period of breastfeeding. However, this method may not necessarily serve as a birth control method.
Time and Money Saving
Breastfeeding requires minimal effort and saves your time since you do not spend time cleaning feeding bottles; you do not need to spend a lot of money buying milk from vendors daily (Irfan, 2019). Breast milk has the proper conditions required for consumption by the baby. Hence you don’t have to think about the warming of milk bottles.
Easy and Convenient
Breastfeeding can be done anywhere anyplace. You don’t have to look for a misplaced milk bottle, warm it, and pack milk for the baby. There is no preparation for a breastfeeding mother is required to make to breastfeed the baby (Mittal & Mehta, 2018). Breastfeeding has been legalized in all public places. After the baby has familiarized with breastfeeding, the mother can multitask, such as watching a movie, picking phone calls, and performing other duties.
Disadvantages of Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding can be a challenging thing at times, especially to women who are their first time to give birth. It takes a lot of time for a new mother to master breastfeeding. Some situations make breastfeeding difficult, and impossible. Challenges facing breastfeeding include:
Loss of Body Ownership
Breastfeeding makes a woman feel tied to her baby. Most women think that they have lost control over their bodies, which with time reduces their self-esteem (Irfan, 2019). Sex life is also affected since much of the time is dedicated to the baby, hence leaving no time for their spouses. Body image also changes a lot due to the lack of workout and proper diet, which also affects her sex life since she does not look attractive anymore.
Lack of Social Support
Breastfeeding women feel less appreciated in society since they do not get the support that is required from family members and friends, although they are encouraged to breastfeed by health institutions (Eidelman, 2019). Women who are breastfeeding for the first time go through a hard time because they do not know what is required of them during breastfeeding, activities they are supposed to engage themselves into, and activities that they are supposed to be cautious about while breastfeeding. Breastfeeding women experience a small amount of sleep which makes them start thinking about other alternatives of feeding the baby. Breastfeeding women also experience a lot of pressure to stop breastfeeding their babies as soon as possible, and they get criticized on how they are breastfeeding big babies, hence end up feeling intimidated.
Embarrassment
Most women feel embarrassed to breastfeed in public areas, which makes most women end up staying at their homes, because of the fear that the baby might need breastfeeding and they are not comfortable doing that in public. The mother ends up feeling lonely.
Conclusion
A breastfeeding mother can encounter difficulties at the beginning. Hence she will need support for the first few weeks. Breastfeeding is the best method of feeding a baby since it is natural, and encourages bonding between the mother and the baby. If a woman feels she cannot breastfeed, she should not feel guilty using other methods to feed her baby.
References
Mittal, A., & Mehta, S. (2018). Pros and Cons of Topical Corticosteroids in Lactating Females. In A Treatise on Topical Corticosteroids in Dermatology (pp. 87-89). Springer, Singapore.
Irfan, M. (2019). Complementary Feeding; Pros and Cons. Acta Scientific Nutritional Health, 3, 12-16.
Eidelman, A. I. (2019). Routine pacifier use in infants: pros and cons. Jornal de pediatria, 95(2), 121-123.