As
a child, I once watched my cat gave birth to her six kittens in an empty cardboard
box. After cleaning them up with her tongue, she lay down and breastfed the six
of them. This she continued for days until they were able to join her in
feeding from her daily spoils.
When
I gave birth to my babies, like I did to an 8.4 pounds baby boy three months
ago, breastfeeding just feels like the right thing to do even without
considering the benefits of breastfeeding. Making a decision to breastfeed or
formula feed your baby is a personal one, but we already know that the benefits
of one outweigh the other. Like grandma
would ask, ’why give the food made for a cow to a human?’
The
World Health Organization (WHO) recommended breastfeeding as best for babies
for its defense against infections, prevent allergies and protect against a
number of chronic conditions.
Often
called the ‘perfect food’ for baby’s digestive system, breast milk contents are
easily digested by the newborn’s immature digestive system therefore breastfed
babies have fewer incidences of diarrhea or constipation.
Rich
in many of the vitamins and minerals that a newborn needs, many of which
commercial formula companies can not exactly duplicate, breast milk provides
perfect nourishment for babies and great is the bonding experience between the
breastfed baby and the mother.
Breastfeeding
is not only cheap, many researches has found that breastfeeding protects babies
from infections and frequent hospitalizations than formula fed babies. Imagine not
having to take frequent permission from work to take a sick child to the
hospital and also having to save the money that would have been used for
hospital bills.
The
benefits of breastfeeding your babies far overshadows any challenges you may
have doing it. http://infantnutritioncouncil.com/breastfeeding/
Let the only reason for not breastfeeding be a specific medical
condition that the mother might have.
Did you breastfeed or currently breastfeeding or know someone who is? Share any challenges you had/ are having in the comment section below.