Breastfeeding not "the best"
Feb 01 '00 (Updated Feb 09 '00)
Breastfeeding should not be seen as "the best" you can do for your child. It should be seen as what you do if you possibly can. It should be seen as the norm. Artificial Breast Milk (ABM) should be seen as an alternative for emergency situations where breastmilk cannot be given. That is why it was invented for people in the first place.
Breastmilk (actually, colostrum) is what babies expect to get in their first days of life, in very small amounts. Giving a baby large amounts (I've heard of 2oz! not being unusual) of ABM sends babies the wrong messages. People seem to believe that if a baby sucks, he/she must be hungery. Not true. Babies suckle, they have a biologic need for this. It comforts them, nourishes them and bonds them to their mothers. They get colostrum in very tiny amounts. Ounces of ABM just stretches out tiny tummies, possibly setting up a lifetime of bad habits.
Others here have listed the various diseases and problems that breastmilk can reduce. I say this is also wrong. Breastmilk, when seen as the norm, doesn't reduce anything. It is what is biologically what is expected. ABM *raises the risk of all these problems.
So, you ask, if its so natural, why is it so hard? That is because in the US is it not the societal norm. Our mother and grandmothers, and in some cases great grandmothers, have not breastfed. We haven't seen it and we don't know what we are doing. I consider myself lucky that I had one friend breastfeed in front of me often before I had children. Many do not even have that. If you don't hear people talk, you won't learn to talk, even though its completely natural. Breastfeeding is the same way. A natural, learned activity.
And its the normal way to feed a baby.
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Epinions.com ID:
NyokaK
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Location: michigan
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 13 members
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