Transcript Feeding the baby

Feeding the baby
• Breast milk has been the standard for all of
human history.
• With the advent of formula, breast-feeding
declined from the 1940s to 1970s, when over
75% of American children were formula-fed.
• Today, about 2/3 of American women leave the
hospital breastfeeding, but the figure drops to
30% still breast-feeding 6 months later.
• Breast-feeding is more common in higher SES.
Advantages of breast milk
• Contains at least 100 ingredients not found in
formula.
• Composition of breast milk changes throughout
the day to meet baby’s specific needs; also
changes as baby matures
• More easily digested than formula; baby has less
stomach upset.
• Has correct balance of sodium, fat, and protein to
put less strain on baby’s kidneys
• Baby absorbs calcium better with breast milk.
Advantages of breast milk cont.
• Less risk of allergy to breast milk than to
formula, although baby can be sensitive to
something Mom has eaten.
• Constipation almost never occurs in the baby
who is breastfed.
• Babies get essential antibodies that will bolster
immune system. Get sick less often.
• Breastfeeding may prevent obesity in children
and adults.
• Breast milk is free, convenient, and offers Mom
some protection against breast cancer before
menopause.
Do moms who breastfeed lose
weight faster?
• Mothers who breastfeed must take in an extra
500 calories a day to compensate for calories lost
during breastfeeding.
• Theoretically, breastfeeding Moms should lose
weight faster, and it’s always been said to be true.
• New research suggests that breastfeeding moms
lose LESS weight initially than bottle-feeding
moms do, but 8 years later, they are thinner than
their bottle-feeding counterparts.
Is breastfeeding a form of birth
control?
• Often women who breast-feed don’t ovulate (and
thus do not have a period).
• Some women use breastfeeding as birth control,
but this is unreliable.
• You MAY ovulate while breastfeeding and could
get pregnant without meaning to.
• Breast-feeding moms can take a “mini-pill,”
which is a specific version of birth control pills.
It’s progestin-only, which won’t harm the baby.
So why would anyone bottlefeed?
• Breast-feeding is hard work and has some
disadvantages to the mother.
• It’s not easy to learn to breastfeed. It can be
painful, too.
• Nursing moms often have to nurse “around the
clock.” Baby eats every 1 ½ hours or so instead
of every 3-4 hours like formula-fed babies do.
• Mom is solely responsible for feeding—can’t get
help from others unless she pumps.
More disadvantages of
breastfeeding
• Mother must watch her diet and medication use
just as she did while pregnant. Less freedom for
her.
• It’s draining and exhausting, which can lead to
postpartum depression.
• Interferes with sex in several ways: 1) no sex
drive; 2) no vaginal lubrication; 3) breasts leak
milk during sex
• Nipples can become sore and cracked. Mom runs
danger of developing mastitis.
Advantages of formula
• Baby isn’t hungry as often; can go longer
between feedings
• Other people can feed the baby, leaving Mom
free to do other things.
• You can gauge exactly how much baby eats and
don’t have to worry about whether he’s getting
enough.
• No dietary or medication restrictions; no sexual
interference.
Are there IQ differences?
• Some studies cite a difference of 7 IQ points
between bottle-fed and breastfed children
(breastfed children having higher IQ)
• At least 3 longitudinal studies since 1999 have
disputed this finding and have found no
differences in intelligence, emotional stability, or
attachment to the mother between breastfed and
bottle-fed children.
Bottom line
• Breast milk is clearly better for the baby, and the
baby likes the taste of breast milk better, too.
• Breast-feeding is not easier for the mom.
• If you choose to feed the baby formula, h/she will
still be getting excellent nutrition and won’t
suffer any damage.
• Feeding is NOT the primary ingredient to having
a happy, healthy baby.
Starting solids
• Pediatricians recommend starting solids (“baby
food”) between ages of 4-6 months, depending
on baby’s weight and how easily he can swallow
food.
• Whether you start with fruits or vegetables is a
matter of debate. Start one food and wait for 2-3
days to see if baby has an allergic reaction. Also
introduce cereal.
• Add meats last.
Obesity in infancy
• There’s only a slight correlation that an obese
baby will grow up to be an obese adult.
• Most babies thin out during toddlerhood and the
preschool years as growth slows and become
more active.
• Some researchers believe that weight setpoint is
set in the first year of life, though.
Malnutrition
• 40-60% of world’s children are
malnourished.
• Marasmus—a wasted condition caused by
a diet low in all nutrients. Appears in first
year of life because Mother is too
malnourished to produce healthy breast
milk. Baby starves and is in danger of
dying.
Child with marasmus
Kwashiokor
• Caused by an unbalanced diet very low in protein
• Usually strikes after weaning, about 1-3 years of
age
• Common in areas of the world in which children
get enough starchy foods but too little protein.
• Body starts breaking down its stores of protein
reserves, causing extreme abdominal swelling
and listlessness.
A child with kwashiokor
Effects of malnutrition
• If child survives marasmus or kwashiokor, he
will grow up to be smaller in all body
dimensions, and the brain is seriously affected.
• An improved diet leads to some catch-up growth
in height but not in head size.
• Malnutrition interferes with growth of neural
fibers and myelinization, causing a permanent
loss of brain weight.
• These kids score low in IQ tests, have attention
problems, and lack of motor coordination.
Malnutrition in America
• Although American children almost never
suffer from marasmus or kwashiokor, 12%
still go to bed hungry eery night.
• Physical growth and ability to learn are
still affected by not getting enough to eat.
Non-organic failure to thrive
• A mysterious condition diagnosed by 18 months
of age
• Child fails to grow because of a lack of parental
love and affection
• Show all the signs of marasmus and just waste
away for no biological reason. There is no illness
or lack of food to account for the failure to grow.
• Babies who survive remain small and show
lasting emotional and cognitive problems.
Parental profile in failure-tothrive syndrome
• Associated with serious caregiving deficits
• Parents alternate between periods of
hostility, impatience, avoidance, and
coldness.
• Often seen in orphanages.
Depressed gaze of a baby with
failure-to-thrive syndrome