Breastfeeding is better for your baby than bottlefeeding. But if for some reason you can’t breastfeed your baby, don’t worry-modern milk formulas are good, and she will be adequately nourished.
The best possible preparation for breastfeeding your baby is to make sure you and your partner are aware of all the benefits it has. Make sure you know what’s involved, and that you’re physically and mentally ready for it. Physical preparations are simple and straightforward-all you need to do is keep yourself well nourished, avoid hazards that could affect your milk supply, and make sure you care for your breasts properly. Your healthcare provider or childbirth instructor should be able to answer any questions you have.
If you decide on bottlefeeding, you’ll need to buy supplies of formula, bottles, and nipples, as well as sterilizing equipment, before your baby is born.
Breastfeeding
Breast milk is the perfect food for a baby. It contains all the essential nutrients (fat, protein, carbohydrate, vitamins, and iron) that a baby needs; it’s never too rich or too watery; it’s clean, readily available, and always at just the right temperature. And like the colostrum that’s produced by your breasts before your milk comes in, it contains antibodies that help protect your baby from common infections such as gastroenteritis.
Breastfeeding is a fulfilling and enjoyable experience that will enhance the loving relationship between you and your baby. What’s more, despite occasional snags such as sore nipples or engorged breasts, it’s good for you, too. The extra calories you use in producing breast milk help to use up the fat reserves you gained during pregnancy, so you get back to your prepregnancy weight more easily. When you breastfeed, the hormone oxytocin, which makes your milk glands contract when your baby suckles, also causes contractions in your uterus, helping it to return to its normal size more quickly.
There’s also some evidence that women who have breastfed are less prone to breast cancer and to osteoporosis (brittle bones). From a purely practical point of view, breastfeeding is quick, easy, and convenient. It’s virtually free, and you don’t need to carry around any special equipment.
Breastfeeding does have some drawbacks, though. Until your milk supply is sufficiently well established for you to collect and store it for later feeding by bottle, you’re the only person who can feed your baby. If you prefer privacy when breastfeeding, you may find it difficult when away from home.
Breastfeeding can lead to sore or cracked nipples and other breast problems; illness, tiredness, stress, and menstruation can reduce your milk supply; if you’re taking any medication or drugs while breastfeeding, these can pass into your milk and possibly cause harm to your baby; and some foods that you eat, such as oranges, may upset your baby’s stomach.
Most problems and difficulties you may have in getting your baby to breastfeed tend to lessen after the first couple of weeks. So if you find breastfeeding your baby frustrating at first, stick with it for a while. Once the initial difficulties have passed and you’ve both settled down, you’ll probably find it easy, immensely rewarding, and enjoyable.
Bottlefeeding
Although modern infant formula milk provides adequate nourishment for your baby (as you can see from the chart below), it doesn’t contain the protective antibodies found in colostrum and breast milk. Other disadvantages are that it’s harder to digest than breast milk (but because of this, your baby will need feeding less frequently); it gives more formed bowel movements with a stronger smell than those of a breastfed baby; formula may lay the foundation for a milk allergy later on; preparing it is time consuming; and you may find it harder to lose weight because you’re not using up calories in producing milk. Also, you have to buy the equipment and the formula, and if you go out, you need to take a supply of bottles with you.
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