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The Feeding Dilemma

For many women, there is no question how they are going to feed their infant. During their pregnancy they would often close their eyes and envision themselves suckling their infant-to-be at the breast, or, just as clearly, cuddling their newborn as it feeds from the latest nursing bottle. Whatever their reason - emotional, medical, or practical - they made up their minds about baby feeding decisively and early in their pregnancy.

For other women, however the picture is not so well focused. Perhaps they cannot see themselves breastfeeding, but they've heard so much about how breast milk is better for the baby that they cannot see themselves bottle feeding either.

Here are some of the concerns: Maybe their mother is encouraging them to use the bottle as she did, while friends are pushing for the breast. Maybe they'd like to breastfeed but are afraid that it's not practical for them because they are going back to work soon after the baby is born. Maybe the father to be has a conflicting opinion. No matter what is causing the confusion, the best way to bring the picture into focus is to concentrate on the facts while exploring the feelings of everyone involved. Next we will discuss the facts of breast feeding and the facts of bottle feeding. In the following article, we will discuss the myths about breast feeding and when it is not appropriate to breast feed.

The Feeding Dilemma - The Facts Favoring Breast Feeding: Pediatricians, obstetrician, nurse-midwives, even manufacturers of infant formulas agree that Breast feeding is best. No matter how far technology advances, there will always be some things that Nature does better.

• Milk that is individualized for your baby. Human breast milk contains at least a hundred ingredients that are not found in cow's milk and that cannot be synthesized in the laboratory. Moreover, unlike formula, the composition of breast milk changes constantly to meet a baby's constantly changing needs, i.e.: it's different in the morning than it is in the late afternoon; different at one month than at sever, different for a premature baby than a term baby.
• Better digestibility. Brest milk is designed for a human baby's sensitive and still developing digestive system, rather than for a young calf's. The practical result: breast fed babies may be less likely to suffer from colic, gas, and excessive spitting up.
• Less sodium and protein. This puts less stress on the fledgling kidneys of the newborn.
• Better absorption of calcium. This is probably due in part to breast milk's lower levels of phosphorus, a mineral that, in excess, interferes with the utilization of calcium.
• Less risk of allergy. Babies are almost never allergic to breast milk. Though an infant may be sensitive to something a mother has eater that as passed into her milk (including cow's milk), he or she virtually always tolerates mother's milk itself, well.
• No problem with constipation or diarrhea. Because of breast milk's naturally laxative effect, infants who nurse are often notoriously prolific when it comes to filling their diaper and constipation is virtually unheard of among them. Although their movements are generally very loose, diarrhea is rarely a problem.
• Less risk of diaper rash. The breastfed baby's sweet-smelling movements are less likely to cause diaper rash, as long as they are solely nursing. Once solid foods are introduced, that may change.
• Better health for the baby. Every time breastfed babies suckle at their mother's breasts, from the first time to the last, they are getting a healthy dose of antibodies to bolster their immunity to disease. They tend to come down with fewer colds, ear infections, and other illnesses than bottle-fed babies.
• Less obesity. Often bottle-fed babies are urged to continue until the bottle is empty, whereas the breast fed stops feeding when full. Consequently they are often less chubby than the bottle-fed.
• More sucking satisfaction. A baby can continue to suck at an empty breast, but not on an empty bottle.
• Better mouth development. Mother's nipples and baby's mouth are a perfect match. Even the most scientifically designed substitute nipple fails to give a baby's jaws, gums, and teeth the workout he or she would get at a breast. Breast fed babies are less likely to need orthodontic assistance.
• Convenience. Breast milk is always in stock, ready to use, clean, and consistently the right temperature. It's the ultimate convenience food. If mother and baby have to be apart over a feeing period, breast milk can be expressed into a bottle in advance and refrigerated or frozen until needed.
• Lower cost. Breast milk is free whereas formula can be expensive.
• Quicker recovery for the mother. Breast feeding is better for the mother's body. Because breastfeeding is part of the natural cycle of pregnancy-child-birth-mothering, it is designed to be good not just for the baby, but for you as well. IT will help your uterus shrink back to pre pregnancy size more quickly, which will reduce your flow of lochia more rapidly. It will also help to shed leftover pregnancy pounds by burning upwards of 500 extra calories a day.
• Possibly a reduction in the risk of breast cancer. There does seem to be some evidence that it may reduce the risk of breast cancer occurring before the menopausal years.
• Less complicated nighttime feedings. Baby's nighttime waking can be a lot more tolerable when comfort is as close as your breasts, instead of far off in the kitchen refrigerator, needing to be warmed and poured into a bottle.
• Strong mother-baby relationships. As almost any mother who's ever breastfed will tell you, the breastfeeding benefit you're likely to treasure most is the bond it builds between mother and child. There's skin-to-skin and eye-to-eye contact, and the opportunity to cuddle, baby-babble, and coo at your wonderful new arrival. True, you can reap the same pleasure when bottle feeding, but you've got to make more of a conscious effort, since you may frequently be faced with the temptation to relegate the task to others when you're tired, or prop the bottle when you're busy.



Facts Favoring Bottle Feeding: If there were no advantages of bottle feeding, no one capable of breastfeeding would ever turn to formula. But there are some very real advantages, and for some mothers (and some fathers) they outweigh the many benefits of breastfeeding:

• Longer satisfaction for baby. Infant formula made from cow's milk is more difficult to digest than breast milk, and the large rubbery curds it forms stay in a baby's stomach longer, giving a feeling of satiety that can last several hours, extending the period between feedings to three or four hours.
• Easy Monitoring of intake. You know just how much a bottle-fed baby is taking. Because breasts aren't calibrated to measure baby's intake, the inexperienced nursing mother often worries that her newborn isn't getting enough to eat.
• More freedom. Bottle feeding doesn't tie a mother down. No weaning or expressing milk is necessary and someone else can babysit and give Mom a night out. More participation for father. Dad's can share in the pleasures of baby feeding.
• More participation for older siblings. There is little that gives an older sibling a much better feeling of taking care of his/her new baby as giving a bottle.
• Fewer demands. The mother exhausted by a difficult labor may be delighted to let someone else get up in the middle of the night to feed the baby, or even take the early morning shift.
• No interference with fashion. The bottle feeding mother can dress as she pleases and not worry about a two piece wardrobe that would accommodate breastfeeding.
• Less restriction on birth control methods. While the breastfeeding mother has to limit her choices of contraception, a bottle feeding mother does not have those same restrictions.
• Fewer dietary demands and restrictions. A bottle feeding mother can stop eating for two. Unlike the nursing mother, she can stop taking in extra protein and calcium, and she can forget about the prenatal vitamin supplements. She can have a few drinks at a party, take medications and eat spicy foods without worrying about the side effects on her baby.
• Less stressful feeding in public. Bottle feeding can be done in public without any embarrassment or really causing any attention at all.
• No interference with lovemaking. For the bottle feeding mom, only the waking, crying baby need to interfere with lovemaking. The nursing mom, however, is left with a dry vagina, and sore, leaky breasts which can make it more difficult to return to the way things used to be before the pregnancy.

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