Natural
Attachment believes that every baby should benefit from the most perfect food.
Breastmilk is that food. In our modern American culture, breastfeeding
is some how seen as perverse, not necessary and the easiest way to
'spoil' our children. These ideas are more common than we would like to
admit.
Health benefits aside, let's
look at why on earth you should breastfeed your child.
Convenience:
you don't have to buy bottles, pacifiers or other means to satisfy a
baby's need to suck.
You don't have to make bottles to go to the store, to send with dad, to
have on hand for baby-sitter and you can sleep because you don't have
to get up in the middle of the night to make and heat up a bottle. If
you are caught out in a storm or your car brakes down, your child will
not go hungry. How long you stay out or visit friends and family is not
dictated by how much food you have on hand. You don't have to run to
the store last minute to buy more food. You don't lose time or money
from loss of work do to illnesses and such, related to feeding your
baby inferior infant drink (formula). You don't need to make
appointments to seek government assistance
to feed your child.
Financial:
you don't have to go to the store to buy more food! A baby can consume
up to 18 large cans of powdered formula a month, multiply this by about
$12.99 per can, ($20.00 to $30.00 per can for 'special' formulas,
needed by certain babies) which ends up to be $234.00, before taxes,
gasoline cost to get to the store, bottles and bottle liners, bottle
brushes and bottled water to make all these bottles of powdered infant
drink. And if you want to use ‘ready to feed’
mixtures, triple your
above cost. Most government programs only provide for about half of a
baby's formula cost per month. Breastfeeding cost nothing
nothing more than the price of a little extra (about 500 calories worth
per day) food and drink for mom. Also you don't have to pay frequent
doctor bills for earaches, intestinal problems,
some illnesses
or allergic reactions to milk or soy proteins in formula. You don't
lose time and money from work, if you even have to work.
Mental/Spiritual: you know you
are doing the best for your child. You know you are a good mother. You
don't feel guilty for not giving
your child the best start and immunological boost. You feel more
mother-like and intone with baby due to the chemical
hormones released during nursing; these hormones help form attachments
between mother & child. You know when you help another mother
succeed at breastfeeding, you are really helping another child get the
best.
Logical:
breastfeeding
is a natural process, which was intended to take place. Not only is it
convenient, free and spiritually fulfilling, it also is the most
logical choice: you get pregnant, you give birth, you lactate, you
breastfeeding, your child decides to wean;
start process all over again! Breastfeeding is one of the vital steps
in the rite of passage into womanhood, which starts at puberty and ends
with menopause.
 Child Spacing: ecological
breastfeeding is a form of natural family planning. Natural child
spacing is another benefit of exclusive and extended breastfeeding.
Not
the Baby’s Choice:
I want to end this page mentioning that while it is the
mother’s choice
whether to breastfeed or formula feed, it is not the baby’s
choice. I
want to share with you a conversation I had online with another mother.
One
of the expectant moms in a yahoo group was commenting on another member
and her newborn. She was saying the baby was now on a new formula, but
was still having some colic and lots of spitting up. When I mentioned
the possibility of re-lactation due to the trouble the infant was
having with all of the formula changes, the expectant mom stated
emphatically, “oh she (the other mom) is quite happy with her
choice”. I was left to
wonder; but what about the baby? Was the baby happy with his mother's
choice?
Links
To Other Websites For More Information And Support
Militant Breastfeeding Cult
Breastfeeding Index on askdrsears.com
Promom
La
Leche League
Jack
Newman's Breastfeeding Handouts
Kelly Mom
Breastfeeding Online
Formula Report
What's so bad about formula?
Militant Breastfeeding Cult
Dangers of formula
Jack Newman M.D. Articles
Lactivist online
Links to Articles
Links to Websites
Find a Lactation Consultant
Near You
Herbs for Lactation
Human Milk Bank Information
American Academy of
Pediatrics Recommendation
INFACT Canada
World Health Organization
Nestle Boycott
007 Breasts
The
material in this website is provided for information purposes only.
This information is not a substitute for, medical diagnosis, medical
advice, or medical treatment prescription. Consult your health care
provider for more information. If you are in Pittsburgh and
need a
midwife, send email to PghMidwife (at) naturalattachment.com
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