NUTRITION

AND
DIET THERAPY

Assignment
 What Is Breastfeeding?

According to WebMD (2008), breastfeeding is when you feed your baby breast

milk, usually directly from your breast. It’s also called nursing. Making the decision to

breastfeed is a personal matter. It's also one that's likely to draw opinions from friends and

family. Many medical experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and

the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, strongly recommend

breastfeeding exclusively (no formula, juice, or water) for 6 months. After the introduction

of other foods, it recommends continuing to breastfeed through the baby’s first year of life.

How often you should breastfeed your baby depends on whether your baby prefers small,

frequent meals or longer feedings. This will change as your baby grows. Newborns often

want to feed every 2-3 hours. By 2 months, feeding every 3-4 hours is common, and by
1
six months, most babies feed every 4-5 hours.
s
Advantages of
Breastfeeding for Mothers

As part of Maternal Fulfillment, Breastfeeding provides a unique emotional

experience for the nursing mother and the baby. Breastfeeding is the one parenting
behavior that only the mother can do for her baby, creating a unique and powerful physical
and emotional connection. Your partner, the baby’s siblings, and other relatives can all
appreciate the new member of the family being welcomed in such a loving way. Listed
below are further advantages and benefits of breastfeeding for mothers.

Physical Advantages:

 Promotes faster weight loss after birth, burning about 500 extra calories a day to
build and maintain a milk supply.
 Stimulates the uterus to contract and return to normal size.
 Less postpartum bleeding
 Fewer urinary tract infections
 Less chance of anemia
 Less risk of postpartum depression and more positive mood

Emotional Advantages:

 Breastfeeding produces the naturally soothing hormones oxytocin and prolactin that
promote stress reduction and positive feelings in the nursing mother.
 Increased confidence and self-esteem
 Increased calmness. Breastfed babies cry less overall, and have fewer incidences
of childhood illness. Breastfeeding can support the wellness of body, mind, and
spirit for the whole family.
 Breastfeeding makes travel easier. Breast milk is always clean and the right
temperature.
 Physical/emotional bonding between mother and child is increased. Breastfeeding
promotes more skin-to-skin contact, more holding and stroking. Many feel that
affectionate bonding during the first years of life help reduce social and behavioral
problems in both children and adults.
 Breastfeeding mothers learn to read their infant’s cues and babies learn to trust
caregivers. This helps shape the infant’s early behavior.
 Advantages of
Breastfeeding for Children

Breast milk provides the ideal nutrition for infants. It has a nearly perfect mix of vitamins,
protein, and fat -- everything babies need to grow. And it's all provided in a form more easily
digested than infant formula. Breast milk contains antibodies that help your baby fight off viruses
and bacteria. Breastfeeding lowers baby's risk of having asthma or allergies. Plus, babies who
are breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months, without any formula, have fewer ear infections,
respiratory illnesses, and bouts of diarrhea. They also have fewer hospitalizations rate and trips
to the doctor.

Breastfed Babies Have:

 Stronger immune systems

 Less diarrhea, constipation, gastroenteritis, gastroesophageal reflux, and
preterm necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)
 Fewer colds and respiratory illnesses like pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus
(RSV) and whooping cough
 Fewer ear infections, especially those that damage hearing
 Fewer case of bacterial meningitis
 Better vision and less retinopathy of prematurity
 Lower rates of infant mortality
 Lower rates of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
 Less illness overall and less hospitalization
 Parents have up to six times less absenteeism from work

Breastfed Babies May Become Healthier Children With:

 Fewer instances of allergies, eczema, and asthma

 Fewer childhood cancers, including leukemia and lymphomas
 Lower risk of type I and II diabetes
 Fewer instances of Crohn’s disease and colitis
 Lower rates of respiratory illness
 Fewer speech and orthodontic problems
 Fewer cavities
 Less likelihood of becoming obese later in childhood
 Improved brain maturation
 Greater immunity to infection
 REFERENCES

Cleveland Clinic. (2018). Benefits of Breastfeeding: For Baby and Mom.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15274-the-benefits-of-breastfeeding-for-baby--for-

mom

Healthy Children. (n.d.). Benefits of Breastfeeding for Mom. HealthyChildren.Org. Retrieved September

21, 2021, from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-

stages/baby/breastfeeding/Pages/Benefits-of-Breastfeeding-for-Mom.aspx

Taylor, R. B. (2008). Breastfeeding. WebMD. Retrieved from

https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/nursing-basics#1