LACTATION
& NURSING
Despite its role as object of human sexuality, the biological
purpose of the breast is to nourish one's child. Lactation
(the act of producing and releasing milk) is a complicated
process that begins during pregnancy when increased levels
of estrogen and progesterone cause the milk glands (see
anatomy
of breast) to grow and gear-up for making milk. After
birth, a hormone from the brain (prolactin) causes the milk
glands to make milk. When the newborn baby then sucks
the nipple, a nerve impulse travels from the breast to the
brain and causes another chemical (oxytocin) to be released.
Oxytocin then causes the milk glands and milk ducts to contract
and milk is released into the sucking baby's mouth.
The
milk produced by the breast is one of a kind, and attempts
by pharmaceutical companies to duplicate it have been only
partially successful. Not only does nursing allow
a special bond and closeness between mother and infant,
breast milk also has the exact proportions of fats, proteins,
carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water that the newborn
child requires. Breast milk also contains thousands
of different antibodies to protect the baby from potential
infections (formula has none). Studies have shown
that infants who are nursed (compared with those that are
fed formula) have a lower risk of ear infections, diarrheal
illnesses, allergies, and SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
Breast fed babies also have been shown to have a higher
IQ then those fed formula (though we don't yet know the
reason)!
So
why do some people bottle feed instead of nurse? There
are many reasons including personal discomfort (though when
done correctly it shouldn't hurt) to embarrassment, to the
need to go back to work (though breast pumps have made pumping
and storing milk quite easy). In addition, millions
of advertising dollars encourage woman to use formula instead
of nursing despite the proven benefits of the latter.
Very rarely, a medical reason will require a mother to bottle-feed
instead of nurse. For more information on nursing,
be sure to check out our links in the conclusion section.
