Breastfeeding Benefits

for six months, the United States would prevent more than 900 deaths save $13 billion per year and from reduced direct and indirect medical costs and the cost of premature death” (USDA, n.d.). It is up to a mother and their baby to decide when they want to stop breastfeeding. When a mother tries to wean her baby from breastfeeding, she must be willing to offer other alternatives like formula. “The World Health Organization recommends that all babies be exclusively breastfed for six months, then gradually introduced to appropriate family foods after six months while continuing to breastfeed for two years or beyond” (Department, 2012). Some babies will decrease from nursing when they start digesting solid food. Others still demand the bond that …show more content…
First, breast milk is nutritious and good for a baby’s first full year of their life. “Increasing breastfeeding rates can help reduce the prevalence of various illnesses and health conditions, which in turn results in lower health care costs" (USDA, n.d.). Second, formula is artificial and breastmilk is normal. “Human milk contains living cells, hormones, active enzymes, antibodies and compounds with unique structures that cannot be copied in a factory. Infant formula is a processed food: a combination of modified cows’ milk, vegetable oils and other additives” (Supporting, …show more content…
No two families are alike when pertaining to the time that a mother wants to allow for breastfeeding. Some mothers have very active schedules and do not want to allow time for breastfeeding. There are other options that allows a baby to receive breastmilk when a mother is jugging her schedule. The mother can pump the breastmilk by using a breastfeeding pump and put in storage bags for their baby when the mother schedule is not allowed. This will still get the baby the important nutrients that is needed.
Also, the decision of whether to breastfeed or not, is a process that must be considered before the birth of a child. All mothers cannot breastfeed, because there are obstacles that must be considered. Remember, “While breastfeeding is recommended for most infants, it is also recognized that a small number of women cannot or should not breastfeed. For example, AAP states that breastfeeding is contraindicated for mothers with HIV, human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 or type 2, active untreated tuberculosis, or herpes simplex lesions on the breast. Infants with galactosemia should not be breastfed. Additionally, the maternal use of certain drugs or treatments, including illicit drugs, antimetabolites, chemotherapeutic agents, and radioactive isotope therapies, is cause for not breastfeeding”