Describe the pros and cons of breastfeeding infants for their future development, for the mother, and for the family.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Benefits for the infant include: Fewer respiratory illnesses, ear infections, gastrointestinal diseases, lower risk of allergies, asthmaand eczema, reduced rate of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), lower rates of childhood obesity, reduced adolescent and adult obesity, lower rates of diarrhea, especially where sanitation is poor, less vomiting, lower risk of childhood leukemia, and lower rates of Type 2 diabetes.

Benefits to the mother include: Lower risk of type 2 diabetes, lower risk of high cholesterol, exclusive breastfeeding and predominant breastfeeding were associated with delayed resumption of menstruation, lower risk of ovarian cancerand certain types of breast cancer, lower risk of cardiovascular disease, uterus returns to pre-pregnancy shape, lower blood pressure and less reactive to stress, and reduced maternal obesity in later life.

There are some circumstances under which breastfeeding is not recommended. HIV can be transmitted from an infected mother to her infant through breast milk, and when a woman is undergoing chemotherapy or using antibiotics, antianxiety medications, or antidepressants, these substances can be passed to an infant through her breast milk (American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs, 2001) so in these instances, a woman should not breastfeed. For many more women, however, the decision is influenced by more practical considerations, such as the woman's need to return to work. In these cases, formula does provide all the nutrients necessary for typically developing infants, although it does not provide the immunity that breastmilk provides.