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Does support of breastfeeding moms benefit society?

Brittney Moore University of Cincinnati

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Brittney Moore Dr. Karin Mendoza Intermediate English Composition (ENGL 2089) 26 March 2014 FP2- Divergent Sources, Does support of breastfeeding moms benefit society? When I first started this paper, my title was Should mothers be allowed to breastfeed in public? Through my journey of research, my question changed to Does support of breastfeeding moms benefit society? Everyone has probably heard the evidence of the benefits of breastfeeding versus formula feeding. Most research shows that breastmilk is a perfect formula of nutrition for babies. Store-bought formula can come close, but cannot completely replace the benefits of breastfeeding. This paper seeks to find more evidence to support both sides of the argument. Is breastfeeding really better? My first source comes from Globe & Mail and is written by Carly Weeks. It is a debate in which she argues the benefits of breastfeeding. Her peers would be other journalists. She does not appear to be part of the medical community, so that may be a constraint to her understanding of the subject. Much of her data is statistical information that has been published by actual healthcare providers. In her writings, she highlights that breastfeeding was "no more beneficial than bottle feeding for 10 of 11 long-term health and well-being outcomes" (Weeks). She gets her information from a study of more than 8,000 U.S. children ages 4-14 that was published in the journal of Social Science and Medicine. She states that, The new study didn't prove unequivocally that formula-feeding is on par with breastfeeding in terms of health and wellbeing of infants. And in fact, it did nothing to detract from the benefits of breastfeeding. (Weeks) While her investigation does not detract from the benefits of breastfeeding, she seems to

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bring focus onto the health benefits of breastfeeding versus bottle feeding. She also brings to light that the education level and income of the families participating in the study were more important to the promotion of health and well-being in the children and not how they were fed. Her information also indicated that breastfed babies were more likely to be predisposed to respiratory illnesses such as asthma. Further research has shown that children with asthma had a genetic predisposition to the disease, breastfeeding had little to do with their contracting of the illness. Her closing statement was very important to me. In closing she wrote, One thing the experts do agree on: Women should not feel judged or stigmatized, no matter what feeding style they choose. As Flanders put it, breastfeeding is clearly beneficial from a public-health standpoint. But for individual mothers, the choice should reflect what is best for them and their babies. (Weeks) While her information seemed to bounce back and forth between which was more beneficial, breast or bottle, I did find her writings to be beneficial to my research process. My next source is written by Joan Margaret Humphries. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, Masters in Nursing and is a Registered Nurse. Her community of peers would be other nurses in her field. She wrote an article in the American Journal of Nursing in 2011 titled, Breastfeeding Promotion. Does passion for a cause threaten the nurse-patient relationship? In her article she details how healthcare providers must not let their personal beliefs cloud their judgment. While a nurse knows the benefits of breastfeeding, she should not impose her will upon a new mother. Humphries states, Breastfeeding may not be ideal for everyone. It is important that we are supportive of our patients and respectful for their choices. Many times, healthcare providers unknowingly place undue strain upon a new mother with the insistence of breastfeeding. At present, no clear guidelines exist to assist nurses with the complexities of infant feeding choice, except to promote breastfeeding as the ideal method.

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(Humphries) It is important that nurses focus on the patient. She also writes that some women have reported feeling pressured or coerced by nurses into breastfeeding their babies. This is an unfortunate byproduct of nurses passion for breastfeeding promotion; a passion that may be influenced by best practice guidelines that endorse the notion that breastfeeding is attainable for all. (Humphries) Breastfeeding can also influence the mothers perception of how successfully she is able to care for her baby. From this article I have gathered that while promotion of breastfeeding is important, healthcare providers should always be mindful of the preferences of the new mom. It is, after all, ultimately her choice how she will feed her baby. A mother that chooses not to breastfeed should not be made to feel inadequate or guilty with her choice. Support of the mother, no matter what her choice may be, is what is more important. My final source is titles A Well-Kept Secret. Breastfeedings Benefits to Mother. It was written by Alicia Dermer, MD, IBCLC. She is a doctor and lactation consultant. Her peers would be other healthcare professionals in her field. In her article she states, Very few people are unaware of the benefits of breastfeeding for babies, but the many benefits to the mother are often overlooked or even unknown (Dermer) In her article she goes on to state the many numerous benefits of breastfeeding. Many people only focus on how breastfeeding is important and beneficial for baby, but breastfeeding really has many, many health benefits for mom as well. One of the best-kept secrets about breastfeeding is that it's as healthy for mothers as for babies. Not only does lactation continue the natural physiologic process begun with conception and pregnancy, but it provides many short and long-term health benefits. (Dermer) The natural sucking sensation of the infant stimulates the mothers body to release Oxytocin. Oxytocin is a hormone that stimulates the uterus to contract. Mothers who breastfeed soon after birth are at a decreased risk for post-partum hemorrhage due to the nursing other their babies. The uterus is

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being stimulated to contract as the baby nurses, so the uterus immediately begins the process of involution, or decent back into the pelvis and return to a pre-pregnancy size. Breastfeeding also can delay the return of the mothers menstrual cycle. This helps to conserve iron reserves in her body, thus the risk of anemia is also decreased. Mothers who breastfeed also return to their pre-pregnancy weight sooner. The production of milk uses an additional 200-500 calories a day. This decrease in weight can also decrease the risk for development of diabetes later in life. Aside from the physical health benefits of breastfeeding, breastfeeding moms also benefit from the peace of mind that their child is developing appropriately. There is much more to breastfeeding than the provision of optimal nutrition and protection from disease through mother's milk. Breastfeeding provides a unique interaction between mother and child, an automatic, skin-to-skin closeness and nurturing that bottle-feeding mothers have to work to replicate. (Dermer) Dermer also goes on to highlight struggles that breastfeeding mothers may encounter. Even if a mother overcomes physical problems, she may still encounter negative comments, such as "Are you still nursing?" or "Your milk may not be strong enough-why don't you add formula?" Or her employer may make it impossible for her to continue breastfeeding on returning to work. Or she may be harassed for breastfeeding in public. No wonder that few mothers get to fully experience the relaxing effects of breastfeeding. (Dermer) Those barriers to breastfeeding are a main focus of my research. All three sources can agree on one thing, breastfeeding is beneficial to babies. Some sources argue the degree of benefit as more than formula (Dermer) while others argue that breastfeeding may not be as beneficial when compared to formula as previously thought. (Weeks).

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Humphries, a Registered Nurse who holds a BSN and MN, argues that while breastfeeding is important, the healthcare provider should not let personal preferences and judgments effect the way they provide care to a new mother. Breastfeeding is a personal choice that only the mother can make. Dermer argues the many health benefits that breastfeeding provides. She is a certified lactation consultant and is very well educated in the field of lactation. Her viewpoints are well researched and documented. Her argument supports breastfeeding fully. Weeks is a journalist with an unknown level of knowledge when it comes to medical topics. She argues that breastfeeding may not be as beneficial compared to formula as previously thought. Her statistics and information come from studies published in medical journals. Her peers are other journalists. Journalists are well known for their ability to research and dig deep to find information. So why is this important? It is important to sit down and analyze all information before coming to a concrete conclusion when researching a topic. While I was aware of the health benefits of breastfeeding, the new research that shows it may not be as beneficial when compared to formula is new information to me. It allows me to stop and think that maybe breastfeeding is not as beneficial to society as I previously imagined. The article my Humphries allows me, as a nurse, to examine myself and my own prejudices when I care for a new mom. I must not be so wrapped up in breastfeeding promotion that I completely miss the main goal of my care, and that is promotion of health in my patient. This also applies to mental health. If I am guilting my patient into breastfeeding, am I really doing her or baby any good at all? I would venture to say no. Support of breastfeeding is important and one cannot argue against the health benefits that it

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provides to both mom and baby, but I should not let that interfere with how I care for new moms.

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Works Cited "A final verdict on benefits of breastfeeding? Not so fast." Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada] 26 Mar. 2014: L7. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 26 Mar. 2014 Humphries BSN, MN, RN, J. M. (2011). Breastfeeding Promotion. Does passion for a cause threaten the nurse-patient relationship? AJN, 111(12), 11. LLLI | A Well-Kept Secret: Breastfeeding's Benefits to Mothers. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.llli.org/nb/nbjulaug01p124.html

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