There have been lots of conflicting thoughts presented as to whether breastfeeding is far superior that bottle feeding. Most people and medical experts advocate breastfeeding most of the time. The best nutrition that nursing mothers can give to their babies is through what nature has actually provided for free. Mothers should strive to provide breast milk for their babies as much as possible. They are also contributing to their babies’ optimum health when they breastfeed them. However, there are situations when breastfeeding may not be possible. Then nursing mother may choose to bottle feed their babies instead.
Some mothers may not be able to breastfeed their babies because of valid reasons such as HIV infection. Sometimes nursing mothers may also have some breast infection that would hinder them from breastfeeding their babies. Other reasons may also include the babies’ inability to suck from the mothers’ breasts. Nursing mothers who are under some form of radioactive treatments as well as those who have undergone recent surgeries may not breastfeed their babies. There are also some mothers who need to go to work to support the family and may find it impossible to breastfeed their babies. These may be some of the reasons why mothers may choose to bottle feed their babies instead.
Nursing mothers who bottle feed their babies will have to find a suitable infant formula as recommended by their doctors. It is important to get the best quality for the health and development of their babies. Other members of the family or the spouse can stay with the baby if the mother has to attend to some other tasks outside the home. They may not also feed the baby as often because infant formulas take some longer time to be digested. Bottle feeding may be an advantage for nursing mothers who would like to monitor the amount of feeding that their babies need to have.
There are also some disadvantages of bottle feeding babies. Those who are preparing the infant formula must see to it that they follow the right mixture of water and milk. They must also have to maintain cleanliness by sterilizing feeding bottles and nipples every day. Unlike breastfeeding, bottle feeding with infant formula may lack the essential antibodies that protect the babies from illness. Another disadvantage of bottle feeding is that it may cause more problems with gasses in the stomach as well as with constipation. Infant formulas also are expensive at this time. Nursing mothers who have the opportunity of breastfeeding their babies should take advantage of it as much as possible. They may only choose bottle feeding in cases where breastfeeding is really impossible to do.
