Advantages of Breastfeeding Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Advantages of Breastfeeding - Research Paper Example The World Health Organization, health care unions, and government health organizations confirm the logical confirmation of the obvious advantage of human milk as well as the risks associated with artificial milk products. The WHO along with the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that mothers exclusively breastfeed their newborns al least for the initial six months, and carry on for at least two and a half years. Human milk gives best advantages for babies, together with premature, as well as sick infants. Human milk is only one of its kinds. Advanced nutrients as well as useful substances are present in human milk that cannot be replaced. â€Å"Breastfeeding offers best physical condition, nutritional, immunologic and developmental benefits to newborns as well as protection from postpartum complications and future disease for mothers† (Sears, p. 190). Breast milk is the most comprehensive type of nourishment for newborns. Experts have indicated, â€Å"It has just the exa ct amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein that is needed for a baby's growth and development† (American Academy of Pediatrics, p. 301). Most newborns find it convenient to digest breast milk as compared to formula-feed. As a result, breastfed babies grow precisely the way they are supposed to. They are likely to gain less extra weight and to be leaner. This may result in staying away from being overweight during the teenage years or even after that. Breast milk has antibodies in it to help defend newborns from germs and viruses. Latest researches on this topic revel that children who are not exclusively breastfed for at least six months are more expected to develop a wide range of contagious diseases together with ear infections, diarrhea, and respiratory illnesses (American Academy of Pediatrics, p. 301) and have additional hospitalizations. In addition, babies who are not breastfed have a 19 percent higher post neonatal newborn death rate in the United States. A number of studies imply that babies who are not breastfed have increasing rates of ‘sudden infant death syndrome’ (SIDS) (Newman, p. 320-23) during the initial year of life, and higher rates of â€Å"type 1 and type 2 diabetes, lymphoma, leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, overweight and obesity, high cholesterol and asthma† (Newman, p. 323). For children, breastfeeding sustains best growth and defends against severe and chronic sickness. For mothers, breastfeeding assists with improvement from pregnancy as well as from childbirth and gives lifetime health benefits. For society, breastfeeding offers a variety of financial as well as environmental rewards. Breast milk is a remarkable substance that cannot be replaced by some artificial means. Matchless in its composition and function, breast milk has a perfect balance of nutrition that the newborn can digest without difficulty. It changes eventually, and even d the course of a day, to meet the varying requirements of the growing b aby. It has substances vital for best development of the infant’s intellect, with effects on both cognitive as well as visual function. It provides growth factors that ‘join to mature the infant gut’. It gives the newborn with immune factors made to fight allergens as well as diseases particular to the mother’s and newborn’s atmosphere (Hausman, p. 192). Advantages for Children In particular, experts have identified that breastfeeding provides benefits for children no other alternative of feeding can duplicate. The advantages of breastfeeding start from the initial moments following childbirth and last for a number of years once breastfeeding stops. In comparison