Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is part of the wondrous, natural, healing, nurturing world of mother Earth exclusive to the God-blessed humans and other inferior mammals. If you don't exert your God-given responsibility to breastfeed your baby, you are an evil child-abusing devil monster. As a result of this amazing ability, mothers lactate and babies drink milk from their mothers.
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[edit] Benefits
The benefits of breastfeeding are well established and for the most part it is rather beneficial for children to drink their mother's milk. Thanks through the history of natural selection, babies are known to instinctively crawl and reach for their mother's breasts if laid on the mother's stomach after birth. One of the most commonly cited benefits of breastfeeding is that it helps connect mothers and their children; the baby feels its mother's body warmth and heartbeat (reminiscent of the womb it has left) and can become familiar with its mother's smell. Studies have shown that babies who are breastfed are more likely to reach adulthood.[1]
There have been more demonstrated benefits due to breastfeeding for the mother (though literature often focuses on the benefits for the child of which few have been empirically proven). Mothers who breastfeed are less likely to develop certain forms of cancer and diabetes,[2] and it makes post-partum problems and complications less likely and makes part of the post-partum recovery process easier.
One long-term study on about 3500 subjects showed on average a significantly higher IQ score (3.76 points) and length of education (almost a year) at the age of 30 for those who had been breastfed for more than twelve months compared to those with less than one month, whereas confounders have been accounted for. The monthly income showed also higher, though this is attributed mostly to the higher IQ score.[3]
[edit] Dangers
The breastmilk may contain certain substances that the mother ingests; in certain quantities these may harm the child. For instance caffeine, alcohol and mercury are known to pass through. Likewise, certain medication or illnesses of the mother can harm the child through the breastmilk. It is recommended mothers seek medical advice in these cases before they breastfeed.
For HIV-positive mothers there is conflicting indications as to how dangerous breastfeeding may be to their child. In general it is recommended to use alternative breastfeeding or formula, if they can be used.
Breastmilk that is purchased over the internet may contain high levels of microbial contamination, reflecting "poor collection, storage, or shipping practices", and putting the exposed infants at risk.[4] Another study by the same authors found that 10% of internet breastmilk was contaminated with cows' milk.[5]
[edit] Woo
Historically (and still in parts of the developing world) substitute breastfeeders were used to nurse children. These days, it is uncommon and some[Who?] claim that the only milk a baby should take is the milk of their own mother. It has not been demonstrated that taking the milk of one's own mother is likely to create a stronger bond between mother and child nor are any of the benefits shown to be more effective when the milk ingested is from the baby's biological mother.[citation needed] Some mother's and woo-meisters claim that babies should be directly nursed and that many of the benefits of breastmilk are lost when pumps are used and breastmilk has been stored. After all, breastfeeding is essential for bio-psycho-spiritual-health.[6] This has not been substantiated by research.[citation needed]
[edit] Breast feeding shaming
Breastfeeding shaming is a two-sided problem. On the one hand some mothers are made to feel inadequate by the "all natural super moms" if they choose not to breastfeed or cannot do so. After all, no synthetic substance can improve on God's perfect natural design.[7] The argument goes that such mothers are selfish, anti-mother-nature or are even unfit to raise their children. While encouraging mothers to breastfeed is admirable before you go overboard and start insisting or shaming those who don't you should keep in mind that there are many reasons they cannot breast feed or choose not to. These include: serious discomfort or even pain, a sense of alienation from others and issues involving bodily autonomy.
On the other hand, some women are shamed into not breastfeeding in public. While laws have changed in many countries to allow mothers to openly breastfeed almost anywhere, some conservative men[Who?] have thrown all sorts of moronic arguments against it. According to them and other arguments from the depths of lunacy, women who openly breastfeed are sluts who wish to frustrate other men, they care more about their tender nipples than social decency, and exposing their breasts will turn children who witness this into perverts.
[edit] References
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15687461
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22946851
- ↑ Association between breastfeeding and intelligence, educational attainment, and income at 30 years of age: a prospective birth cohort study from Brazil.
- ↑ Microbial contamination of human milk purchased via the Internet by S. A. Keim et al. Pediatrics 2013 Nov;132(5):e1227-35. doi: 10.1542/peds.2013-1687
- ↑ Sources of breastmilk on Internet stir warning by Erin Allday (April 5, 2015) San Francisco Chronicle.
- ↑ http://vitallyalive.com/?p=73
- ↑ http://motheringfromtheheart.com/whatgod.htm