If there were a food for adults which contained just the right amount of all the ingredients needed for the perfect nutrition and which changed with and during every meal, a food which was always delivered at the right temperature in a warm,friendly environment and also provided antibodies against certain diseases and infections, would you want to consume it? Of course you would! A mother's breast milk has all these properties and more. It has also been found to contribute to the development of the babby's brain and to protect against certain illnesses in later life.
Advantages:
- Breast milk is the perfect food, tailored to meet the baby's needs. It changes from feed to feed and within each feed.
- Includes antibodies against various diseases and increases boby's resistance to infections.
- Contains ingredients such as choline, important in brain development, andlong-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, responsiblefor reducing the risk of many later-life aliments.
- Breastfeeding helps the mother'sfigure to regain shape and helps her tolose stored body fat.
- Provides regular opportunity for mother and baby to interact with each other - and gives the mother a reason torelax and sit down.
Disadvantages:- You cant't tell how much food baby is getting - this can be unnerving when we are used to measuring quantities.
- It is totally dependent on the mother who, if she is unable to feed the baby personally, must express milk to be given in a bottle.
- Can be tiring for the mother. An inadequate diet and broken sleep combined with breastfeeding can make the early days of motherhood exhausting for those without support.
Breastfeeding is not always easy, however. In today's world many women need to be taught how to breastfeed beacuse they have never had the opportunity to closely watch other women breastfeeding their babies. Many women give up breastfeeding beacuse they think they are not producing enough milk, but this is rarely the case. It is far more likely that the baby is not feeding properly and therefore not taking enough milk. In fact, the best way to ensure your baby is getting anough milk and a good balance of foremilk and hindmilk is tolet the baby feed when she is hungry and stay on the breast until she has had enough and comes off of her own accord.
Text source: Parenting Guides - Baby Food