Is Breastfeeding Inevitably Best for Healthy Development?

undefined. Is Breastfeeding Inevitably Best for Healthy Development?.

Desk with stethoscope and computer keyboard. Benefits of Breastfeeding.

Glasses on top of a book. False Hope. Breastfeeding has no effect on I.Q. from toddlerhood to adolescence. It is concluded that the studies that were preformed to test the benefits of breastfeeding are considered weak. Since the studies were too small or failed to control confounding variables the findings are often inconclusive..

Statistics about Breastfeeding. If 6 babies are breast-fed exclusively for 6 months, 1 of them will not get an ear infection they otherwise would have had. Meaning it will take about 5,400 hours of breastfeeding to prevent one ear infection. Statistics have proven that up to 15% of women do not produce enough milk to feed their babies and 30% of mothers take no maternity leave. If 26 women breastfeed exclusively for 6 months, they can collectively prevent one hospitalization for a respiratory tract infection..

Classism & Racism. Breastfeeding goes beyond mere shaming, it reflects and reinforces, the divisions of race and class that have long characterized American social life. 91% of women in the top income quintile breast-feed, 71% of those below the poverty line initiate breastfeeding 81% of white women breast feed & 62% of black women breastfeed Breast feeding is more common among white middle- and upper-class parents Breast feeding is used as a comparison to being a good parent when in reality its more of a class issue based on who has time to stay home and tend to their baby's full time..

Classism & Racism. According to Courtney Jung in "Overselling Breastfeeding" The average working mother returns to work after 10 weeks of childbirth and nearly 30% of new mothers take no maternity leave at all. Breastfeeding has become a civic responsibility and a matter of public interest instead of a personal choice. In other words, women who don’t breastfeed are portrayed as bad parents, and irresponsible citizens, and that category are more often filled with African Americans mothers who focus more time working..

Classism & Racism. Middle-class women primarily experience breastfeeding advocacy in the form of education campaigns and are limited to the access to formula in hospitals. Poor women are vulnerable to more explicit coercion..

Incentives. A person and a child sitting at a desk Description automatically generated.

Side effects of Breastfeeding. Sore or cracked nipples Not enough breast milk Breast engorgement Baby is not latching on properly Too much breast milk.

History Behind Alternatives. There always has been alternatives to mothers breastfeeding their children, since some mother experience lactation problems or may die from childbirth. Infant feeding has experienced its own historical evolution including the wet nurse(another mother feeding a baby from her breast), the invention of the bottle, and the use of formula. Animals milk has been used to nurse infant babies as far back as 2000 B.C. the most common milk used came from cows, although goats, sheep, donkey, camels, pig, and horse milk have been used as well. Justus Von Liebig developed, patented, and marketed an infant formula that was nutritious enough to replace breastfeeding..

[image]. A person feeding a baby Description automatically generated.

Benefits of Formula. Complex maths formulae on a blackboard.

Is Breastfeeding Inevitably Best for Healthy Development?.

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