The pH Miracle for Women
The BENEFITS OF BREAST FEEDING
The headliner
in England is, “Britain pays mothers to breastfeed their babies”.
.
Breast
milk is widely acknowledged as the most complete form of nutrition for infants,
with a range of benefits for infants' health, growth, immunity and development.
--
Healthy People 2010, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
.
Breast
milk is a unique nutritional source that cannot adequately be replaced by any
other food, including infant formula. Although pollutants can accumulate in
breast milk, it remains superior to infant formula from the perspective of the
overall health of both mother and child.
Infants
are fragile and susceptible to tissue acidosis leading to inflammatory
dis-ease, partly because their bodies are not fully developed. They must be
treated with special care and given adequate nourishment. Infant formulas are
able to mimic a few of the nutritional components of breast milk, but formula
cannot hope to duplicate the vast and constantly changing array of essential
nutrients in human milk. Nevertheless, breastfeeding is often devalued, both in
the United States and abroad, and in many parts of the world it must compete
with relentless advertising by infant-formula companies.
Studies
have demonstrated a number of important health benefits to breastfeeding. Among
them:
•
Breast-fed children are more resistant to disease and infection early in life
than formula-fed children
•
Breast-fed children are less likely to contract a number of diseases later in
life, including juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and
cancer before the age of 15
•
Mothers who breast fed are less likely to develop osteoporosis later in life,
are able to lose weight gained during pregnancy more easily and have a lower
risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer
Breastfeeding
also has economic advantages: it's cheaper than buying formula and helps avoid
medical bills later because it helps equip the baby to fight off disease and
infection. New parents are well advised to learn all they can about the pros
and cons of breast milk and formula. See below for more information on the
benefits of breastfeeding.
.
Benefits to the Child in the First Years of
Life
.
Breast
milk is a unique combination of nutrients essential to a child's health, and
cannot be duplicated by any laboratory formula. It provides a number of health
advantages beginning at birth and continuing throughout a child's life. In
fact, a large number of the health problems today's children face might be
decreased, or even prevented, by breastfeeding the infant exclusively for at
least the first six months of life. The longer the mother breastfeeds, the more
likely her child will get the health benefits of breastfeeding.
The
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that mothers breastfeed for at
least the first year of a child's life and continue until they both feel they
are ready to stop. In the first six months, the baby should be nourished
exclusively by breast milk.
The
slow introduction of iron-enriched foods may complement the breastfeeding in
the second half of the first year. Breast milk without supplements during the
first six months reduces the possibility of food contamination due to tainted
water or malnutrition as a result of over-diluted formula. Therefore, the child
should be nursed without the interference of water, sugar water, juices, or
formulas, unless a specific medical condition indicates otherwise.
The AAP
asserts that breast milk has the perfect balance of nutrients for the infant.
It is by itself enough sustenance for approximately the first six months of
life and should follow as the child's staple throughout the first year.
A
variety of studies have demonstrated that breastfeeding increases a child's
immunity to disease and infection:
• Many
studies show that breastfeeding strengthens the immune system. During nursing,
the mother passes antibodies to the child, which helps the child resist
diseases and help improve the normal immune response to certain vaccines.
•
Respiratory illness is far more common among formula-fed children. In fact, an
analysis of many different research studies concluded that infants fed formula
face a threefold greater risk of being hospitalized with a severe respiratory
infection than do infants breast-fed for a minimum of four months.
•
Diarrheal disease is three to four times more likely to occur in infants fed
formula than those fed breast milk.
•
Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the likelihood of ear infections, and to
prevent recurrent ear infections. Ear infections are a major reason that
infants take multiple courses of antibiotics.
• In
developing countries, differences in infection rates can seriously affect an
infant's chances for survival. For example, in Brazil, a formula-fed baby is 14
times more likely to die than an exclusively breast-fed baby.
•
Researchers have observed a decrease in the probability of Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome (SIDS) in breast-fed infants.
•
Another apparent benefit from breastfeeding may be protection from allergies.
Eczema, an allergic reaction, is significantly rarer in breast-fed babies. A
review of 132 studies on allergy and breastfeeding concluded that breastfeeding
appears to help protect children from developing allergies, and that the effect
seems to be particularly strong among children whose parents have allergies.
Benefits to the Child Later in Life
Some
benefits of breastfeeding become apparent as the child grows older. Among the
benefits demonstrated by research:
•
Infants who are breast-fed longer have fewer dental cavities throughout their
lives.
•
Several recent studies have shown that children who were breast-fed are
significantly less likely to become obese later in childhood. Formula feeding
is linked to about a 20 to 30 percent greater likelihood that the child will
become obese.
•
Children who are exclusively breast-fed during the first three months of their
lives are 34 percent less likely to develop juvenile, insulin-dependent
diabetes than children who are fed formula.
•
Breastfeeding may also decrease the risk of childhood cancer in children under
15 years of age. Formula-fed children are eight times more likely to develop
cancer than children who are nursed for more than six months. (It is important
to note that children who are breast-fed for less than six months do not appear
to have any decreased cancer risk compared to bottle-fed children.)
• As
children grow into adults, several studies have shown that people who were
breast-fed as infants have lower blood pressure on average than those who were
formula-fed. Thus, it is not surprising that other studies have shown that
heart disease is less likely to develop in adults who were breast-fed in
infancy.
•
Significant evidence suggests that breast-fed children develop fewer
psychological, behavioral and learning problems as they grow older. Studies
also indicate that cognitive development is increased among children whose
mothers choose to breastfeed.
• In
researching the psychological benefits of breast milk, one researcher found
that breast-fed children were, on average, more mature, assertive and secure
with themselves as they developed.
Alkaline Benefits to the Mother
Studies
indicate that breastfeeding helps improve mothers' health, as well as their
children's. A woman grows both physically and emotionally from the relationship
she forms with her baby. Just as a woman's breast milk is designed specifically
to nourish the body of an infant, the production and delivery of this milk aids
her own health. For example:
•
Breastfeeding helps a woman to lose weight after birth. Mothers burn many
calories during lactation as their bodies produce milk. In fact, some of the
weight gained during pregnancy serves as an energy source for lactation.
•
Breastfeeding releases a hormone in the mother (oxytocin) that causes the
uterus to return to its normal size more quickly.
• When
a woman gives birth and proceeds to nurse her baby, she protects herself from
becoming pregnant again too soon, a form of birth control found to be 98
percent effective -- more effective than a diaphragm or condom. Scientists
believe this process prevents more births worldwide than all forms of
contraception combined. In Africa, breastfeeding prevents an estimated average of
four births per woman, and in Bangladesh it prevents an estimated average of
6.5 births per woman.
•
Breastfeeding appears to reduce the mother's risk of developing osteoporosis in
later years. Although mothers experience bone-mineral loss during
breastfeeding, their mineral density is replenished and even increased after
lactation.
•
Diabetic women improve their health by breastfeeding. Not only do nursing
infants have increased protection from juvenile diabetes, the amount of insulin
that the mother requires postpartum goes down.
• Women
who lactate for a total of two or more years reduce their chances of developing
breast cancer by 24 percent.
• Women
who breastfeed their children have been shown to be less likely to develop
uterine, endometrial or ovarian cancer.
• The
emotional health of the mother may be enhanced by the relationship she develops
with her infant during breastfeeding, resulting in fewer feelings of anxiety
and a stronger sense of connection with her baby.
• A woman's
ability to produce all of the nutrients that her child needs can provide her
with a sense of confidence. Researchers have pointed out that the bond of a
nursing mother and child is stronger than any other human contact. Holding the
child to her breast provides most mothers with a more powerful psychological
experience than carrying the fetus inside her uterus. The relationship between
mother and child is rooted in the interactions of breastfeeding. This feeling
sets the health and psychological foundation for years to come.
Social and Economic Benefits of Breastfeeding
The
benefits of breastfeeding go beyond health considerations. Mothers who nurse
their children enjoy social and economic advantages as well. For example:
• Women
who breastfeed avoid the financial burden of buying infant formula, an average
Source
: http://articlesofhealth.blogspot.com/
