Question

A pregnant woman comes to you and asks which is better -- breastfeeding or formula feeding. Write a paragraph outlining your decision and provide advantages and disadvantages to both. Five months after the birth of the baby, the same mother wants to start feeding her child table food and comes to you for ideas. What foods would you recommend she start with and why? Include your references used.

Answer 1

Breastfeeding also known as nursing, is the feeding of babies with mother's breast milk. The best feed ever for a new born and babies. Feed the baby every 2 hours or as a demand feed

Breastfeeding

advantages for mother

• improves mothers physical and emotional health
• Creates a good maternal bond
• Reduce blood loss after delivery
• better uterus shrinkage
• Prevent post partum depression
• Lactation amenorrhea
• Prevents breast cancer
• Rhematoid arthritis
• Certain cardiovascuar disease
• lower chance of getting Diabetes Mellitus

For baby

• easily digestible
• highly nutritious
• develops good immunity by fighting infection
• increases cardio respiratory status
• prevents childhood obesity
• no mortality
• reduces the effects of enterocolitis
• prevents alleric diseases

Probably there are no disadvantages either for mother for the babies

Disadvantages of not feeding the baby

The mother will experience engorgement, which leads to pain in breast, fever, infection . Some may need medical help. They may get problem in later stage of their life.

If the baby are not breastfed they are prone for infection ,gastro intestinal problem and many more

Formula feeding

Formula feed is giving milk for the baby by external preparation.Before starting that the bottles,nipples , cleaning techniques like sterilization of articles to be done, proper positioning of baby as breast feeding.

If tring to choose this wait until your baby is 3-4 weeks old

Choose the right fo.There are 3types of formula

ready to feed (most expensive)

liqiud concentrate(less expensive)

powder(econonmic)

Advantages

• as a supplemental feeding after six months
• if mother as any infectious disease
• on certain medication (cancer , TB , high dose for thyroid problem)

Disadvantage

The mother if has good breast milk may lead to engorgement and further problem, complications at later stage of life

The babies may face gastro intestinal problem, (digetion, vomiting, colicky pain), low immunity,obesity

Weaning

Introducing solid foods gradually after 4-6 months is called weaning.

Introduce 1 food at atime

Give in smaller quantaty to check allergies

Breast feeding can be continued

The signs in baby for weaning

the baby could sit, ideally opens mouth when food is given,using fingers to pick and put in mouth

Start with the following

formula feed

rice water

thin pulse soup

Then introduce semi solid food like mashed banana, potatoes,mashed cooked carrot, vegetables,stewed and pureed fruits like apples,avacoda, peach ,chikoo

Then introduce solid foods

Common symptoms of food allergies are

• Diarrhoea
• Vomitting
• stomach pain
• cranky baby
• rashes
• running nose