Throughout history there has been a need for alternative feeding methods for infants. Whether because of an issue with the mother’s milk supply or because of death of the mother, there have always been children that required the use of something other than their own mother’s milk. In more recent history, alternative feeding has also been used as a convenience. Prior to the development of infant formula in 1865, animal milk and wet nurses were used to accomplish the feeding of orphaned infants or others whose mothers could not, or chose not to, breast feed. Between 1950 and 1970 the breast feeding rate fell dramatically. Some studies suggest that more that 75 percent of American infants born during that time were formula fed. As the rates of diabetes, obesity and other health issues continue to increase researchers are looking at how individuals are feeding their infants and what effects the large amounts of high calorie “breast-milk substitute” may be having. Infant formula is being considered as one of the contributors to the growing health crisis in America. American mothers may be inadvertently predisposing their children to a lifetime of health issues by choosing not to breast feed. Throughout recorded history there were many feeding devices created for the feeding of animal milk, most commonly cow’s milk, to infants. These feeding vessels or devices have been found in all shapes and sizes dating back thousands of years B.C. Prior to 1865 wet nurses were the most common source of alternative nutrition for infants but by 1900 the profession was all but extinct due to the practice “falling out of favor” socially and the introduction of feeding bottles. Early in the 19th century, the use of unclean feeding devices, along with t... ... middle of paper ... ...a Feeding”. June 2001. Web. May 2014 Ben-Ishai, Liz. “Infant Formula Marketing in Hospitals” Citizen.Org. 2014. Web. 10 May 2014 Gibbs, BG. Forste, R. “Socioeconomic status, infant feeding practices and early childhood obesity“. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity. Feb 2012. Web. 15 May 2014 “Infant and young child nutrition, Global strategy on infant and young child feeding”. World Health Organization. 16 April 2002. Web. 15 May 2014 Patrick, Thelma E, RN, PhD. Pickler, Rita, RN, PNP, PhD. Stevens, Emily E RN, FNP, WHNP, PhD. ” A History of Infant Feeding”. Journal of Perinatal Education. 2009 Spring; 18(2): 32–39. Print. Parry, K., Taylor, E., Hall-Dardess, P., Walker, M. and Labbok, M. (2013), Understanding Women's Interpretations of Infant Formula Advertising. Birth, 40: 115–124. doi: 10.1111/birt.12044http://jn.nutrition.org/content/131/2/409S.full
Feeding a baby is an indispensable duty of a parent. Part of that duty includes making
It utilized infants from birth to six months of age. Studies were excluded if the formula contained long-chain poly-unsaturated fatty acids, if there were supplements to the mother or infants, if there was contamination of breast milk like lead and mercury, or if mother or child were sick at start or at an increased risk for disease. Convincing and probable evidence was found in favor of breastfeeding on several outcomes. Breastfeeding can decrease the growth and obesity in infants, help maintain normal blood pressure and serum cholesterol levels, and prevent diabetes in childhood. For each month a child was breastfed their BMI decreased and their odds of being obese were reduced by 8%. Breastfeeding was shown to have a small decrease in systolic blood pressure for children. Longer duration of breastfeeding may result in decreased likelihood of developing diabetes. Breastfeeding was also shown to protect infants from overall infections including gastrointestinal and respiratory tract
Very few experts disagree with the fact that breastfeeding is the optimal choice for the infant. However, decreasing breastfeeding rates raise many questions as to why mothers are not choosing the best nutritional choice for their children. Despite breast milk being the obvious choice for infant feeding due to the health, psychological, and economic benefits, many mothers still decide to feed their infants formula due to lack of knowledge and support, difficulties with breastfeeding, and social embarrassment. Changes need to be made with formula companies, medical professionals, and the public opinion of breastfeeding in order to give nursing mothers the support they deserve.
NAN, a product made by Nestle is infant food formula that was marketed in third world developing countries where it is proven the water to be unsafe. Nestle, without being affected, aggressively marketed the dry baby formula to new mothers for the sole purposes of making a profit, without any regard to humanity. Companies earn profits on high priced products or services and then sell it at a higher cost than what it took to make. In order to use the infant formula, because it is a dry based product, water must be added. Continuing issues that developing countries encounter involves contaminated and unsafe drinking water. The baby formula was given to the labor and delivery wards of the hospitals where the babies were born. The babies were fed via bottles using the product from Nestle, versus being breast fed. Naturally, the babies grew to enjoy the flavor and mother’s enjoyed the new way of feeding, providing a new found freedom. Unfortunately, upon leaving the hospital, the mothers were not able to feed their babies for much longer due to not being able to afford to purchase the product. The product was sold at nearly half the cost of what a family could actually afford. In addition, to the high cost of the product, the water being used (outside the hospital) wasn’t safe. Babies were not gaining weight; they were losing weight, and becoming extremely
By remaining exclusive to human milk, the premature infant has an increase in benefits and outcomes. This change in recommendation is due to the benefits of human milk which include “decreased rates of late-onset of sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, retinopathy, sudden infant death syndrome, fewer re-hospitalizations in the first year of life, and improved neurodevelopmental outcomes.” (Underwood, M. A.). Due to an underdeveloped gastrointestinal tract, it is shown that preterm infants require smaller amounts of human milk than a full-term baby. It is crucial to teach mothers of preterm infants, that the colostrum or milk they produce is sufficient. If the mother does not produce enough milk, she should be directed to a donor human milk bank or talk to a lactation consultant. Nevertheless, it is crucial nurses emphasize the importance of reducing formula feeding and implement exclusive
Women do not breastfeed long enough. Although healthcare workers try to promote the breast method, many women do not continue with it. Breastfeeding does come with challenges; however, the phrase “breast is best” is the role of the nurse in conjunction with education. A mother a...
The use of a pacifier, a non-nutritive sucking device, is quite widespread and now a cultural norm in many parts of the world (Oddy, 2001). Often health professionals and the public believe that they are harmless and even necessary and beneficial for infant development (Jaafar et al, 2011).
Though breastfeeding is undoubtedly the optimum feeding method, it is not necessarily a possibility for some mothers (The Nemours Foundation). For example, couples who choose to adopt children are obviously not able to breastfeed their child because the mother is not lactating. Other mothers just simply do not have the time to breastfeed their children because they are busy running errands (Mezzacappa, Elizabeth Sibolboro, and Edward S. Katkin.). Another reason some mothers do not breastfeed is that they are using a babysitter so they need the babysitter to have some way to feed the child (Mezzacappa, Elizabeth Sibolboro, and Edward S. Katkin.). The reasons behind bottle feeding are definitely sound, but they only prove that bottle feeding is an alternative method, not a replacement for breastfeeding. Th...
Providing breatsmilk is the best form of nutrition for an infant as it contains all the nutrients that an infant needs (Coila, Bridget, 2010). There can be many benefits to this. One such benefit is that there has been research conducted that shows breastmilk can lower the incidence of SIDS (Phend, Crystal, 2011). In a report conducted by Fern R, Hauck, MD, MS from the University of Virginia School of Medicine it was found that there was an overall 60% reduction rate of SIDS in infants fed breastmilk regardless of duration or amount (Phend, Crystal, 2011) Another benefit to breastmilk is that it contains antibodies that can reduce the incidence of infection in an infant (Rarback, Sheah, 2011). It has also been ...
What Makes Human Milk Special? (Mar-Apr 2006). New Beginnings Vol. 23 No.2 , pp 82-3.
Those who are able to do so are proud to tell you how they are glad to not have to use formula. Yet, if you asked her if she would drink it herself, she would probably “no way!” Yet, this article expresses a lesser known and curious prospective.; it opens the door for the question, of: “Is human breast milk as an acceptable food for adults?” It (what?) features a well known New York ...
It has become a societal normal to bottle feed babies with formula and milk substitute. Many families cannot afford bottles and formula for their babies because of low income. According to The Surgeon General, “Families who followed optimal breastfeeding practices could save more than $1,200–$1,500 in expenditures for infant formula in the first year alone.” (The Surgeon General’s Call to Action). When families eliminate the cost of expensive bottles and formula there is more money to go toward the household, schooling, and other
Many mothers want to breastfeed their newborn babies, unfortunately for some mothers with premature newborns this is not an option. Newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are very limited to do certain things. An example of one of those things would be sucking. Fragile, vulnerable, medically compromised infants often cannot eat by mouth initially, and their mothers must regularly express breast milk for gastric feedings, while maintaining their milk supply until direct breast-feedings are possible (Pineda, 2011, p.541). Breastfeeding even though its really important sometimes is not the best option a mother may have. The purpose of this paper is to inform how important the breast milk is, but most of all how important is it in the NICU and which newborns can receive direct breastfeeding while they are in there.
There are poor attitudes and misconceptions towards infant and young child feeding (IYCF) regulations. For instance, Syrian mothers have been more likely to use infant formula over breast milk in Syria, and this problem has worsened with the unregulated distribution of baby formula in the earlier days of the crisis. Few mothers or caretakers understood the benefits or importance of exclusive breastfeeding for infants for the first six months. Refugees often reported they exclusively breastfed, but were found to give other fluids to their infants (Sebuliba, 2015). Another common misconception was that bottle feeding was preferable, and that stress on a woman’s body prevents her from breastfeeding. Older generations with poor education on the benefits of breastfeeding often counsel younger women to give breastmilk substitute, and younger women almost exclusively follow this advice. Misconceptions amongst caregivers and mothers during the discussions included poor advice, telling women to “give water and herbs,” or that “breastmilk alone is insufficient for infants,” and “traditional approaches are preferred.” Fänder’s study found that mothers have been breastfeeding without iron supplementation after their child has reached 6 months of age. They have also used non-iron fortified cow's milk as weaning food, frequently fed their babies tea, and rarely fed them meat due to its high cost. During the winter, it is difficult to transport food and grow produce, so mothers have to resort to feeding their children watered down foods. (Luce, 2015). Given the cultural norms in Syria, girls become mothers at a very young age and were pressured to wean female infants off of breastmilk to increase the chance of becoming pregnant, hoping that the next child
Breastfeeding is proven as the ideal method for feeding babies. Nationwide, 76% of new moms choose to breastfeed and forgo formula feeding, but by three months post-partum that percentage has dropped drastically (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity 4). While breastfeeding is proven to reduce the risk of diarrhea, pneumonia, obesity, type-II diabetes, and improve results on intelligence tests (World Health Organization) many new moms abandon their goals of feeding babies for the recommended 2 years (World Health Organization) because of the discrimination received while nursing in public. Being viewed as a life choice, not a health choice, the general public ostracizes and alienates these women, arguing that modesty is more important than a baby’s right to eat.