I feel that breastfeeding is a great choice for mothers all over the world. I know that is it also a mother's choice on how she feeds her baby and that no mother should be forced to do it because of pressure from society. I had a wonderful experience breastfeeding my son and feel I can see the benefits of his overall health to this day, even though he is almost 24 years old. He is in good physical shape and rarely gets sick. As a baby, he was the same way; a good eater and a good baby. I breastfed him till he was almost 4 months old and then I started gradually started weaning him. He was a big boy at birth; 10 pounds 4 ounces, 22 1/2 inches long. I started him on baby cereal when he was about a month old and mixed it with my breast milk. It gave him that little extra to get him through the night. I wish I had the same experience with my daughter but unfortunately I had complications after giving birth to her and even though I tried to breastfeed her for a month, I had to give it up when I was not producing enough milk for her. She too was a good baby and a good eater in a different way from my son. I think that although I was not producing a great deal of milk, she still got the rich colostrum that first month because even now, she is a healthy 16 year old who rarely gets sick. Those antibodies found in breast milk really do provide a great deal of protection against illnesses.
When I was a family childcare provider, I had a mom who was breastfeeding and I highly encouraged her to keep doing it as long as she could handle it. I was the only provider in our small town who took babies and I enjoyed that time with them.
In the text by Berger (2009) it states that doctors all over the world recommend breastfeeding. It also states that US born mothers are less likely to breastfeed. The benefits are tremendous and easy on Mom when she is breastfeeding but our society is so busy today and here in the United States it seems as though breastfeeding is not as accepted as it is around the world. For some countries, it is the only choice for feeding. Ultimately it is the choice of Mom but with the benefits that breastfeeding provides, hopefully new moms will give it try. It is an experience with your baby that really is special.
Reference:
Berger, K.S. (2009). The Developing Person. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
I also chose to write about breastfeeding. If I ever have kids, I will choose to breastfeed. It is the best for both mothers and babies. It is also a great bonding experience. Breastfeeding is the best expression of love that a mother can give a child.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post. I think it is so important for the mother to breastfeed their children because of the bonding and the proper nutrition. I really enjoyed reading about your thoughts on bonding because it seems like such an important connection between parent and child and if it is possible for the mother I definitely think she should probably consider breastfeeding her baby.
ReplyDeleteBreastfeeding is so important. I breast fed both of my daughters until they were nine months old. I am thinking back to when I had a licensed home daycare. I would like to tie in this blog to the DVD with Dr. Gropnik about how toddlers role play. I had a newborn, was breastfeeding and taking care of not only my older daughter who was 21 months, but also 4 other little girls ages 18 months to 3 years. I went to the kitchen to prepare a snack. When I went back into the play room to get them, I was astonished to see all 5 of them sitting on the floor, each with a doll to their chest, breastfeeding! What a riot! Oh, and I made sure to warn the parents for the same type of roleplaying at home!
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