Before becoming a mother, my husband and I decided that breastfeeding would be the form of nourish for our future baby because of the nutritional and health benefits. I also felt as a future mother it would be a great bonding experience for me and our baby. After having our both of our sons, I found it to be a wonderful experience because it did add to our bonding experience. It was also amazing to see the changes the breast milk undergo as the boys got older to fit their nutritional needs. I breast fed for up six months of both of their lives and then stopped because of the demands of my job. However I encourage future mothers if comfortable to definitely allow that experience for their baby.
The World Health Organization recommends mothers worldwide to exclusively breast feed infants for the child’s first six months to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Afterwards, babies should be given nutritious complementary foods and continue breastfeeding up to the age of two years or beyond. As I research breastfeeding around the world I found some very interesting traditions. In most African countries women that do not breastfeed are frowned upon. Nursing in public is acceptable; women uncover in public places without issue feed their babies. Also, women are encouraged to nurse children up to age two. In the country of Ghana, if a mother does not publicly breastfeed a crying baby it is assumed the baby is an orphan. I found most interesting that breastfeeding in public in the United States is still not quite accepted because of how women’s bodies are perceived.
As a preschool educator, I believe it is important to continue to encourage women to breastfeed. Within the National Association for the Education of Young accreditation, centers seeking this accreditation are encouraged to provide a designated location for mothers to nurse there infants during the school day. This aids in ensuring a child’s nutritional well-being and growth.
Reference:
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2011). Health accreditation Standard. Retrieved May 14, 2011 from http://lms.naeyc.org/icohere/custompages/naeycsearch/search_framer.cfm
World Health Organization. (2011). Exclusive Breastfeeding. Retrieved May 13, 2011 from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2011/breastfeeding_20110115/en/index.html
Hi Vanessa,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Breastfeeding is an important public health issue for sure! I agree that breastfeeding in public is frowned upon here in the US and further agree that it is certainly a women's issue. If we promote the benefits of it to mother's here in the US, why is public practice of it taboo?