The public health topic that I chose for this week was
breastfeeding. The reason I chose this topic is that I have experience with
breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has many pros but there are also some cons. I have experienced both the good and the bad. Breastfeeding
is something that is
The best thing about breast milk is that it’s free. It
doesn't’ cost you anything and it is readily available. . Breast milk is very nutritious for the baby,
helps fight against diseases, easy for infants to digestive, decreases the
infant risk of SIDS, and helps to promote brain development. Not only is
breastfeeding good for the baby but also for the mother. Breast milk helps you
to bond better with your baby and also helps you to lose weight no matter what
you eat.
Breastfeeding also has its downside. It is very time
consuming because infants tend to feed every 2 to 3 hours throughout the day
and night. Breastfeeding can be inconvenient for working mother because in
order to keep your milk supply you have to pump and some jobs may not offer
enough breaks to do so. Mothers do not always produce enough milk so this can
become very stressful. When babies don’t feed properly the results can be
painful and you may develop things such as sore nipples, mastitis, clogged milk
ducts, or engorgement.
Breastfeeding is natural but to us American mothers it
becomes kind of uncomfortable for us, discouraging, or embarrassing when baby
wants to feed in public. In our society we hide, cover up, or make sure we have
enough privacy when breastfeeding our little ones. In Ghana, the women just
breastfeed right in public without rushing the baby to hurry up and feed. This
is something so common that the public doesn’t even react to it. In Ghana this
is just the norm. If a mother in Ghana decides to wait to feed her crying baby
because of the fear of exposing herself to breastfeeding, she is looked upon
with frowns. I applaud these women and their society of having so much courage
by responding immediately to their children and making sure that not them but their babies
are comfortable when feeding.
Reference
Shlonda. (2011).
March14. Breastfeeding in Ghana.
Retrieved from http://silentyetleading.blogspot.com/2011/03/breastfeeding-in-ghana.html
Well done, Erika! I breastfed too. You definitely covered all the pros and cons. It is so convenient except for for working mothers. It was nice not to have to haul around formula and bottles. And it has so many benefits. I am glad that the stigma in the US appears to be declining.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post Erika! I learned about the cons of breastfeeding. We often discuss the pros and the benefits about breastfeeding, but there are some disadvantage and stress that does come with breastfeeding. I really enjoyed your post. I do agree with Bonnie with being glad that the US is becoming more opened minded about breastfeeding.
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