|
Author: Michelle Higgins Article source: http://www.parentingsurvivalguide.com/. Used with author's permission.
Expecting a baby? You must be in a state of bliss, yet confounded by multiple choices. One of the toughest decisions you will have to make: Bottle feeding or Breastfeeding? Despite all the information available on the pros and cons, the final decision is yours. What is right for someone else might not be right for you.
Here is some help to make your decision.
The strong case for breast feeding
Most pediatricians advocate breast milk as the perfect food for a baby and indeed it is all that she needs for the first six months. It is easy to digest. It contains unique disease fighting antibodies, an exclusive blend of nutrients, hormones and enzymes that promote growth and development.
Breast milk stays at the right temperature, is available at all times and is safe and sterile too. Breastfeeding offers protection against several allergies and diseases. There is more physical contact with your baby while you breastfeed.
Breastfeeding is beneficial for the mother as well. It helps shrink your uterus to its normal size, burns calories and helps you lose weight, and is known to reduce your risk of breast, uterus and ovarian cancer. Exclusive breastfeeding until six months is an effective method of contraception too.
And yes, breast milk is nature's first choice for your baby.
Breast feeding: The flip side
Breastfeeding requires a great deal of patience and perseverance not to mention a great deal of time. If you want to go back to work, breastfeeding might not be practical.
A breastfeeding mother has to avoid alcohol, smoking and limit caffeine consumption. She also has to watch what she eats until she is breastfeeding.
You cannot go on a diet while you are breastfeeding. Breastfeeding also limits the variety of clothes you can wear. This can be a little disappointing especially if you were waiting to shed those pregnancy pounds and get back into those bikinis and tube tops.
Nursing is not recommended for mothers suffering from certain medical conditions or on particular medications.
In favor of Bottle feeding
Bottle feeding or formula feeding can be a substitute for breastfeeding, especially for mothers who cannot breast feed due to any reason.
Commercially available infant formulas are manufactured under sterile conditions and attempt to reproduce human milk with complex ingredients.
Bottle feeding provides a lot of convenience and flexibility. Both partners (dad doesn't feel left out) and caregivers can feed baby, giving mom her much needed time outs.
Mothers don't have to worry about what they eat or drink if they are not breastfeeding their baby.
Bottle feeding Cons
Bottles and nipples need to be washed and sterilized meticulously during the initial few months since they can transmit germs to baby. The feeds have to be maintained at the right temperature. Preparing formula for a howling baby thrice in the middle of the night can be demanding.
Besides, formula-fed babies do not obtain the natural protection that breast milk bestows.
Bottle fed infants have more gas, more tooth decay and more digestion problems and run a greater risk of being obese later in life.
Exclusive formula feeding can be expensive too.
Will a combo work for me?
If you earnestly wish to breast feed but cannot commit enough time for it, there is no need feel guilty. Where there is a will there is a way.
You can take nursing breaks from work if feasible. Pumping breast milk and storing it for your baby is another option. This "breast in a bottle" method provides the best of both worlds.
Alternatively, you can opt for combination feeding, where you nurse your baby when you are with him and he is formula fed otherwise.
Whatever the method you opt for, bottle feeding or breastfeeding, feeding your baby is not just about providing nutrition. It is an opportunity for you and baby to nurture a physical and emotional bond. Let him enjoy your warm cuddle as you feed him and watch him bask in the contentment of a full tummy. * About the author *
This article has been provided by ParentingSurvivalGuide.com.
Please visit our web site at http://www.ParentingSurvivalGuide.com to discover more articles.
Copyright 2005 ParentingSurvivalGuide.com, all rights reserved.
This article may be freely republished for noncommercial use as long as the article, including the author information and this reprint policy statement, is republished in its entirety, unedited, and with all links working.
How to Get Rid of Stinking Thinking
Meet Mr. Yabuts and Ms. Ifonly Ida, the King and Queen of stinking thinking. Here are a few tips for kicking them out of your brain, since they are not paying a...
White Horse Weather Vanes
The white horse weather vane is one of the most popular designs of weather vanes. The white horse carries a certain symbolism, which makes it a favorite among ...
Environmental Eco-Terrorists Must Be Stopped
Eco-terrorists assume some how they are helping the environment, by causing news worthy events and starting forest fires or burning down developments. Yet in do...
The Right Bathroom Light Fixture Will Brighten Up Your Bathroom
A bathroom light fixture may be just what the doctor ordered to brighten up a dark and gloomy bathroom. House lighting is important in every room in your home,...
Brand Image - Brand Identity - Brand Strategy - Brand Identity Guru
How important is your brand image?
Magnetic Propulsion for GI Joe?
Anti-gravity propulsion? Is it feasible? Well the World Think Tank is building a toy that can fly, but why? For Ken and Barbie? No, for GI Joe.
Physical and Mental Fitness for Internet Marketers
Simple steps to preventing health problems common to Internet Marketers...
Apistogramma , Dwarf Cichlids in the Aquarium
Keeping and breeding Apstogramma's and other dwarf cichlids in the tropical aquarium.
Google Local Search And The Impact On Natural Optimization
With the advent of Google Local, a service that helps Web users find local businesses by typing in a search term and a city name, many questions arise concernin...
The Art of Selling Yourself!
Create a professional resume if you want yours to get read and be put on top of the tiny pile and make the first cut!
Linking is Queen
If content is king, then linking is the queen that shares his throne. We have all heard about adding content to your site to give the search engines fodder to c...
Black and White Themed Teen Bedroom Decorating Ideas
How, on a very small budget, we decorated our teenage daughter's bedroom in black and white, and we were all very happy with the result!
Increase Your Rotational Strength For A More Powerful Golf Swing
Every golfer dreams of a fluid, unhindered golf swing. So why do so few of us actually achieve it?
Environmental Pressure Washing in Pennsylvania
If you run a mobile car wash, mobile fleet washing company, mobile auto detailing business or a Pressure Washing firm in Pennsylvania there are things you shoul...
How PR Helps Fiercely Competitive Managers
Fiercely combative business, non-profit and association managers use every PR weapon they can lay their hands on. Which means they employ strategic, rapid-fir...
Better Management Performance - The Easy 3-Step Way
Managers make three mistakes when they try to run businesses. They do too much, they don't trust their people and they don't have enough skills. Here we explo...
Wilderness Landscape Photography -- The Practicalities of Getting Out There
Ever dreamed of travelling to isolated wilderness areas to photograph the landscape but been defeated by the practicalities of getting there? Wished you had a h...
Defend Your Dog and Stop that Hurting Paw!
They look tough as nails, but the truth is your dog's paws can be host to some pretty painful conditions. Here's how to keep him up and running.
A Cut Above
It takes an idea and some money to make money.
Daydreaming About Your Home Makeover Projects
Most home makers enjoy shopping for that perfect accessory, daydreaming about colors for our rooms, and planning a new look for our home. Try this simple exerci...
Stress Can Help Make You Fat
For those stressed out all the time, take a deep breath, and watch your waistline grow. Current research connects the dots between stress, cortisol, and fat gai...
Natural Progesterone and Estrogen as an Alternative to HRT
A Dec. 30, 2003 Associated Press article stated that about one quarter of women who stopped taking hormone replacement therapy because of its risks wind up resu...
Brain Diet : Right Diet prevents Memory Loss
These days, when people have become so conscious about what they eat and how it affects their body, they don't realize that eating same food helps their brain t...
Christopher Columbus
This agent of genocide used Plagues to win a war against Brotherhood that no earlier power had suceeded in doing. The powers that were building Empire have cont...
|
Print this page