One of the major decisions a mother will have to make after having their baby is on what the baby will be fed with.
While I’ll be discussing the differences between baby formula (aka breast milk substitute) and breastfeeding, the decision is a personal one and should be what is the healthiest choice for the baby.
If you are still confused about which choice to make, pls watch this video
To begin with, it is important to know what’s in breast milk or formula, the price difference , and the impact they have on health to make an informed choice.
Similarities
Both formula and breast milk provide enough energy, nutrients and water to ensure that your baby grows regardless of choice.
However, despite advancements in the manufacture of baby formula, it’s no where near breast milk in terms of health benefits.
Human milk has evolved over millions of years to be the perfect food for our babies. It’s much more complex than cow’s milk from which formula is made.
Content
Baby formula:
Typical formula is made up of processed cow’s milk with emulsifiers and stabilisers to help the oils and water mix when you prepare the feed. Also contains lactose(milk sugar), plant based oils, vitamins and minerals, enzymes, amino acids and pro biotics
Breast milk:
Breastmilk a living fluid in the sense that it adapts to your baby’s changing circumstances. If your baby needs antibodies to fight an infection, it is produced by the body and transferred to breast milk .
Breast milk contains colostrum which coats/seals the newborn’s stomach lining, mature milk to help baby grow, antibodies, bonding hormones,beneficial bacteria, prebiotics, fatty acids,stem cells, enzymes
Health benefits of breast milk and infant formular milk
Breast milk reduces your baby’s likelihood of getting diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, ear infections, colds and flu, and thrush. It has been linked to better behaviour, academic performance, good immunity, good eyesight and lower risk of DM.
It reduces the baby’s risk of developing diabetes, asthma, allergies, diabetes and some cancers. It also helps mother lose weight quickly and reduces her risk for some cancers as well
Ease and cost
Who else has noticed how expensive baby stuff has become? Well, I have and most top formula brands will cost you an arm and a leg. Some brands cost as much as 20,000 naira per tin!
- Breast feeding not only saves cost, but the stress of washing up, sanitising, boiling water and prepping bottles of formula is also reduced. Thus, it is always available.
- This may not seem like a lot to some people but in places where theres water problems or poor hygiene, it reduces a baby’s risk of coming down with diarrhoea or infections.
- Breast milk is usually flavored with food eaten by the mother and ensures baby gets a variety of tastes. Formula milk on the other hand has one taste.
- Breastfeeding encourages healthy eating in mothers as they desire to eat the best foods for their suckling baby.
- When bottle feeding, any member of family can feed the baby and get a chance to bond with it. Bottle fed babies require less frequent feeding than breastfed ones
Feeding challenges
Formula feeds need to be made fresh, at the right temperature and with clean water and accessories while breastfeeding is ready on the spot.
Formula feeds may cause digestive problems like constipation, bloating while breast milk is suited for baby and easily digested by most babies.
While it is easier to initiate formula feeding, it can be challenging for some mothers in the early weeks to initiate breastfeeding without help. This could cause fungal infections or nipple soreness.
On the other hand, breastfeeding may require practice to get it going. It may be challenging to measure the amount a baby is taking per time as against formula feeding.
Keeping up with a regular schedule of feeding after resumption of work requires a lot of effort for mothers.
Some medications are known to cross breastmilk
Final thoughts:
While both breastfeeding and formula feeding have pros and cons , there’s no right or wrong choice, just the healthiest choice for the mother and the baby.
The benefits of breastfeeding are pretty huge and getting the facts ahead of time and coming up with your own plan can help ease any stress and anxiety around feeding baby.
Thank you for watching this video and see you in the next one
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