Advantages And Disadvantages Of Breastfeeding

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend breast milk as the best nutrition for babies. This is because breast milk helps fight infections, prevent allergies and protect against chronic conditions.

There are pros and cons to breastfeeding

But everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Keep reading to discover some pros and cons of breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is good for your baby

Breast milk has many positive effects on your baby’s nutrition. It is 100% recommended and is almost vital to their health.

The positive aspects of breast milk are:

• It is the best nutritional option for babies. Some experts consider breast milk to be the best choice for our babies, allowing them to get the best nutrients.

• It helps fight infections and other conditions. Babies who are breastfed get fewer infections as breast milk strengthens the baby’s immune system. It also helps reduce infections such as ear infections, diarrhea, respiratory infections and meningitis.
• It is very nutritious and improves digestion. Babies who get breast milk have less digestive problems and it also contains many vitamins and minerals that the newborn needs.
• Breast milk has different tastes. Since we have to eat different foods during the day to produce breast milk, it tends to have different tastes. Therefore, the baby is introduced to different taste experiences.
• Some studies claim that breast milk produces wiser children, as children who have been breastfed have slightly higher intelligence than those who have received breast milk substitute.
• Breastfeeding is also beneficial for the mother. If the mother breastfeeds her baby, she burns calories, feels more confident, and, according to some studies, she will even be able to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

• Breastfeeding strengthens the bond between mother and child. Some mothers say that skin-to-skin contact helps to establish a special bond between mother and baby.

Breastfeeding also has disadvantages

Although breast milk has many important benefits, it also has a negative side:

• It can cause pain and discomfort. Breastfeeding can create discomfort to begin with, as the mother may feel a bit of pain when the baby sucks. This pain should not last for more than a minute each time, but if there is constant pain that does not go away, then it may be due to an infection.
• Mothers need to maintain a proper diet while breastfeeding. Breastfeeding mothers, for example, should not eat fish that are high in mercury.
• Mothers have less flexible schedules. If at some point you can not breastfeed your baby, then you can leave your partner or a family member with a bottle, and then the baby can be fed without any problems.

• Need to feed more often. Babies who usually receive infant formula should not be fed as often, as it is more difficult to digest compared to regular breast milk.
• Mothers need to worry about what they are eating. If you are not breastfeeding, then you do not have to worry too much.

Some good advice

1. It is recommended that mothers continue breastfeeding until the baby is at least 12 months old. But you can easily continue for a longer time if you want this.

2. Breastmilk substitute is also a healthy alternative. It provides the baby with the necessary nutrients that they need.

3. Make your own decision on whether or not you want to breastfeed your baby. It is a very personal choice and it is important to consider all the pros and cons of breastfeeding.

The decision on how to feed your baby should be entirely your own. The most important thing is that you are well informed and that you decide what is best for your child’s health.