Teresa just gave birth to a healthy infant, and she is not sure that she wants to breastfeed her baby. She says that the idea of breastfeeding makes her feel uncomfortable, and she does not see any benefits to choosing breast milk instead of formula. What would you tell Teresa about the benefits that breastfeeding can provide her and the benefits that breastmilk can offer the baby? ere

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will differ slightly among students. The benefits that breastfeeding can provide Teresa include the following:
• Contracts the uterus
• Delays the return of regular ovulation, thus lengthening birth intervals (this is not, however, a dependable method of contraception)
• Conserves iron stores (by prolonging amenorrhea)
• May protect against breast and ovarian cancer and reduce the risk of diabetes (type 2)
• Increases energy expenditure, which may contribute to weight loss
The benefits that breastmilk provides infants include all of the following:
• Provides the appropriate composition and balance of nutrients with high bioavailability
• Provides hormones that promote physiological development
• Improves cognitive development
• Protects against a variety of infections and illnesses, including diarrhea, ear infections, and pneumonia
• May protect against some chronic diseases—such as diabetes (both types), obesity, atherosclerosis, asthma, some cancers, and hypertension—later in life
• Protects against food allergies
• Reduces the risk of SIDS
• Supports healthy weight
Other benefits associated include:
• Cost and time savings from not needing medical treatment for childhood illnesses or leaving work to care for sick infants
• Cost and time savings from not needing to purchase and prepare formula (even after adjusting for added foods in the diet of a lactating mother)
• Environmental savings to society from not needing to manufacture, package, and ship formula and dispose of the packaging
• Convenience of not having to shop for and prepare formula