Breastfeeding
A
public health topic from this week’s lesson relating to Child Development and
Public Health that sparked an interest with me is Breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is a meaningful topic to me because my son was a
breastfeed baby. Breastfeeding was an
interest of mine early in my pregnancy after being informed of all the health benefits
for my baby, me, and the perk of helping
me shed by baby weight faster.
Breastfeeding helps you to burn numerous calories. The vast percentage of breastfeed babies
perform better in school than none breastfeed babies, their immunity is
stronger than non-breastfeed babies. More pros for
breastfeeding babies include lower risk of ear and respiratory infections and
sudden infant death syndrome, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
reports. For moms, breast-feeding can help decrease the risk of breast and
ovarian cancer and type 2 diabetes, CDC officials say.
The health reasons alone are more than enough
reason to breastfeed. Needless to say,
it is a healthy economical way to feed your baby. Although, there are numerous
reasons that a mom should breastfeed, and it is a natural thing, it still
spikes much controversy when it comes to breastfeeding in public places. I
admit that I was an individual that was reluctant to nurse in public because of
the fears of skepticism from individuals. Much like the controversy that
breastfeeding may be causing within our own cities and communities, it is also receiving
much flak from others around the world. The acceptance
of public breast-feeding in the Chicago area was tested recently when the owner
of a DeKalb resale shop took issue with a young mother breast-feeding in his
store. The mother claimed she was told to stop or to go someplace else. The
store owner, who said he supports breast-feeding, said he only suggested the
woman not breast-feed in his shop in the future. Controversy over the situation roused dozens of moms, which later sparked a
protest outside the business in an event they entitled a "nurse-in." The rally impelled comments from supporters
on both side of the issue. Thus encouraging a 31 year old gentleman, named Ben
Vanderroest, who works at the resale shop to say, "It's just as improper
for a woman to expose her breasts as it is improper for me to go out in the street
and pull down my pants”.
The information that I have learned will impact my work and personal views in the future my allowing me to be more aware and mindful to promote and respect those moms that breastfeed in public places. Thus, if I were to have another child, I would not be ashamed or reluctant to breastfeed in public as it is a nature thing for the health of my baby.
Reference:
Before reading your post, I knew about the benefits for the baby, but I am intrigued by the benefits for mom, too. I have not had any children of my own so I am somewhat of a novice when it comes to birth experiences and breastfeeding. I have not stopped hoping that we will have a baby someday so I am taking all the information I am learning and storing it for future use. I know that it is very controversial to nurse your baby in public, but I would like to think that I could be as strong as some of the moms that I have heard about and if my baby was hungry, I would feed him or her while remaining mindful of where I was at the time.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I also breastfeed my son. My family was against it; primarily because they thought that I would not be able to handle it. I admit, it was difficult at first; but long term, I would not trade the experience for anything. My son still endured numerous ear infections; but we were able to escape any medical attention associated with it. I lost my baby fat within two months. I also believe that my kid is very smart!! For those of you that are interested in breast feeding, please try it. Just remember how natural and healthy it is for you and your baby. I wasn't afraid to nurse in public. It is a very natural experience and healthy way to feed your baby.
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