Over the course of pregnancy there are a multitude of decisions to make. A particularly important decision for you and your baby is whether to breastfeed. According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), there are indisputable nutritional, immunological, psychological, and economic benefits to breastfeeding. The ADA encourages breastfeeding for at least 4 months, and preferably for the first full year of your baby's life.
Brief History of Breastfeeding
Public opinion about breastfeeding has varied over the decades as breastfeeding has gone in and out of vogue. In 1900 nearly all women breastfed their babies. Early formulas were time consuming and difficult, and were only used as the occasional substitute for breastfeeding. The women's movement began in the early 1900's. Women began to demand more rights including the right to work, vote, wear what they wanted, and to leave the kitchen and the domain of the home. During this first leg of the women's movement, breastfeeding was viewed as old fashioned, restricting, and represented all that women wanted freedom from.
By the early 1950's, formula was norm for babies. However, the resurgence of the women’s movement in the 1960's and 70's brought an increase in breastfeeding. At this point, women wanted not only freedom, but control over their lives and their bodies. Control is best gained by knowledge. The available knowledge suggests that breastfeeding is better for both mothers and babies. Today, about two-thirds of women breastfeed at some point after their baby's birth.
Benefits of Breast Milk for Your Baby
Breast milk has many advantages over formula or cow's milk. Brest milk contains over 100 nutrients that cannot be replicated exactly by formula. The composition of breast milk changes from day to day because it is composed from the mother's bloodstream. Research has shown that the nutrients in breast milk are well matched to the needs of infants.
Babies more easily digest breast milk than formula. It contains a lower protein level that’s easier on babies' stomachs. Breastfed babies are less likely to suffer from constipation and diarrhea and are less likely to be overweight than babies who are fed formula. In addition, the lipids and fatty acids contained in breast milk are more easily digested by babies and are better suited for neural (brain) development than those in formula. Believe it or not, breastfeeding is associated with cognitive development; children who were breastfed score higher on intelligence tests.
One of the most well known benefits of breast milk is that it provides babies with antibodies, and promotes their immune system in ways that formula cannot. Babies who are breastfed are less likely to develop food allergies and tend to be healthier than formula-fed infants.
