Benefits of breastfeeding

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                                                                Student: Alena Sarkisov

                                                                Instructor: Emily Parkhurst

                                                                ENG – 111

                                                                Research paper

        

        An exciting and busy time for new parents is getting ready for the birth of their baby. One of the most important decisions they will make is how to feed their baby. The perfect food for newborn is breast milk. Deciding to breastfeed can give a baby the healthiest start in life. Breastfeeding benefits the baby and the mother in many ways. The longer the mother breastfeeds, the greater it benefits the baby and her. "There are 4,000 species of mammals, and they all make a different milk. Human milk is made for human infants, and it meets all their specific nutrient needs," says Ruth Lawrence (Lawrence).

        Women have breastfed their babies since the beginning of humanity. There were no alternative foods for the infants, so mothers and lactating females (wet nurses) would have no choice but to breast feed their children. For example, in Sparta, Greece women were required to nurse their eldest son and not use any alternatives such as other animal’s milk or a wet nurse, because this was the child who was expected to inherit the family name. At other times during history breastfeeding has been seen as something that only lower  or poor people did. In France in the early 1800's, most upper class women hired wet nurses for their infants (Lawrence, 7).

         In the beginning of the 19th century scientists began to examine what was needed in food mixes for babies to thrive. In 1860, the first available baby food was created in Switzerland, by Henri Nestle (Obrien). After that, many other kinds of baby formulas were made. These formulas worked so well, that women began to use them instead of breastfeeding. Manufacturers suggested that the use of baby formulas was the modern and better way to feed babies. By 1950, more than half of the babies in the USA were fed some form of baby formula. By the 1970’s, women felt the need to go back to the basics: to breastfeed their babies (Wolf). In this period of time, women were better educated and made informed choices based on what was best and not what was trendy.

        Nowadays, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAFP), recommends that all babies be exclusively breastfed for six months and continue breastfeeding for at least one year. Through “Healthy People 2010" the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services  set national goals of 75% of babies breastfeeding at birth, 50% at six months, and 25% at one year (United States Government Accountability Office, 10). The United States has not yet met its breastfeeding goals. Data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2008 shows that 77% of U.S. mothers initiate breastfeeding, and the percentage of mothers who are still breastfeeding some at six months is 20-40% (McDowell).

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        Breast milk contains unique elements that are not found in any baby formulas. It consists of the perfect combination of proteins, fats, vitamins, carbohydrates, and minerals. (Pray).

        One of the components of breast milk is protein. Protein is the most important factor in ensuring proper growth and development of the infant. There are two types of proteins: whey is 60 percent and casein is 40 percent. This balance of the proteins allows for quick and easy digestion. Formula has a greater percentage of casein. It will be more difficult for the baby to digest. 60-80% of all protein in ...

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