The Super Benefits of Breastfeeding
By: Nursing Tips
Tags: Feeding, Baby, Formula, Breastfeeding, Baby Care

The Super Benefits of Breastfeeding

Breast milk is a living fluid that is full of antibodies, hormones, enzymes, vitamins, proteins and other great beneficial factors helping your baby to grow.

- For baby: breastfeeding reduces the risk of infections such as (gastro, respiratory, urinary, ear, allergies, and several other severe potential health diseases that could develop e.g. diabetes type 1, and childhood leukemia and help prevent or reduce SIDS.

- For mother: breastfeeding is also beneficial to Mum as it reduces her risk of breast cancer, cervical cancer, and osteoporosis.

- For both Mum and Baby: breastfeeding promotes bonding with your newborn straightway after delivery and in the long term. Can also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The FORMULA Debate:

While some mothers take to Breastfeeding exclusively. Some don’t and choose to use a formula to nourish their babies. Perhaps, it’s that your newborn baby has health issues and requires formula as a supplement or Mothers’ milk supply is a bit slow to come in and just not enough to sustain and grow baby or has an allergy to Mums milk.

The Debate, Myth, and Brand Trends of Formula:

- The Debate: Is Formula really that bad of a replacement… No, it is not actually!! The formula has been around since Justus Von Liebig invented the first infant formula in 1867 a chemist! Most babies where feed by their Mothers or a wet nurse before this invention. And if you where a Mother who could not breastfeed or the luxury of wet nurse… newborns and infants were often fed a mixture of water, animal’s milk with added sweetener- Growing the infant mortality rate rapidly. Justus Von Liebig saw this and developed and patent and marketed a baby formula, that first was introduces as a liquid form and then in a powdered form to better preserve the formula. This new formula consisted of cow’s milk, wheat, and malt flour and potassium bicarbonate! Still, think today’s formula is so bad? This was better than sugar milk or bread and water in a bottle. But as great invention, this formula lacked sufficient and important nutrients.

- The Myth: Which leads us today’s formula which although it isn’t mothers’ milk it has by far come a long way since 1867! Today’s choices range from Regular Formula, Hydrolyze, Soy, Organic and Biodynamic Formula! And just “BRANDS”!

The list of brands is quite long to list and would need its very own separate post! So, let’s just say that there are plenty of choices. The myth is that all baby formulas are chock full of junk, and that one is better than the OTHER. Because its organic or the farm is biodynamic and cruelty-free to their animals.

However, are all of these brands-really just basically the same, give or take a few different or cheaper ingredients and farm specifics. Scientifically not necessarily! With each and every babies tolerance and digestive system totally different from each other. Formula use and Choice of Brand and reactions have to be a personal experience. Only in the long term can we say that one brand of formula is better than the other.

- The Trend: That best is breast… breastmilk is great if you can do it. it’s full of many health benefits for you and baby. But the formula is an alternative and also has many benefits as well.

There is such pressure and the trend to Breastfeed. Even whilst struggling to breastfeed your baby or just simply because you made a choice to feed exclusively formula from the beginning and/or supplement by formula. And if they do decide to feed by formula it must be from a specific brand, so specific that they are willing to pay a premium price for a formula flown in from abroad. Bottom Line! No Mother should ever be pressured or bullied because she chooses to nourish her baby via formula. Although breastmilk has its great benefits- so can formula.

FEED TO NOURISH!

Formula, Breastmilk or Both!

We must educate, support and respect whatever the choice a parent chooses to feed their babies … Breastmilk is the first choice but may not always be the best choice for you and your baby.