This coming week (August 1-8) is techinically World Breastfeeding Week, although many people all around the world celebrate World Breastfeeding "Week" throught the entire month of August.
I am so glad that I made the decision to give my girls the *best* start in life by nursing them! I wish I knew how to help more people to know how perfect breastmilk is for their babies--it seems that because of the hype from formula companies, some naive, albeit well-intentioned moms have been lead to believe that formula is 'just as good' or 'just like breastmilk'. How could it be?
- Breastmilk is constantly changing to suit the specific needs of the nursling -- the composition of mother's milk changes as the baby gets older and his/her needs change.
- The exact composition of human milk can NOT be replicated or synthesized -- you've probably heard about how the formula companies have added the long chain fatty acids DHA and AA (or ARA) to formula? Well, in human milk, DHA and AA is natural and is essential for baby's visual health and brain growth; but in formula, DHA and AA are CREATED or synthesized from algae and soil fungus! Are you okay with putting that in your baby's system?? See http://www.cornucopia.org/DHA/DHA_QuestionsAnswers.pdf
- When mom or baby is exposed to something, mom's body begins making antibodies and passing that to her baby through her milk within approx. 24 hrs! You can't do that with any other form of infant nutrition!!
- Mother's milk matches more than 50% of her baby's genetic material! Of course baby can digest it easily!
- Human milk is species specific! It is the perfect food for human babies!! There is no other way around it, it is medical/scientific fact, and just as God & nature intended.
- There is even a fabulous component of breastmilk (alpha-lactalbumin) that kills tumor cells!!! See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9925761
- The nutrients in human milk are also more bioavailable to baby -- meaning: the iron in breastmilk is easily absorbed and used by baby's system whereas most of the iron added to artificial baby milks does not even get into the baby's system!
And how about Mom:
- Studies have shown that mother's who don't breastfeed are more likely to be at risk of several female cancers.
- Mothers who breastfeed can have approximately 10-12 days of postpartum bleeding (lochia) but mothers who don't breastfeed have their bleeding continue for up to 24 days! This can put formula feeding mothers at higher risks of anemia, hemorrhage, and other serious conditions.
- Mothers who breatfeed also have a quicker time losing their pregnancy weight than mothers who don't.
- and insulin-dependant diabetic moms who breastfeed have found that their body regulated blood-sugars better while they were nursing than when they weren't. Some times their need for insulin is decreased!
Babies are Born to Breastfeed!
"Formula feeding is the longest-lasting, uncontrolled experiment lacking informed consent in the history of medicine." ~~Frank Oski, M.D. retired editor, Journal of Pediatrics
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