Breastfeeding And Infants: A Case Study
Is immunity compromised in babies who are formula fed for their first year compared to babies who are breastfed for the first year?
Anastasia J. Jorgensen
LCC Nursing 165
Is immunity compromised in babies who are formula fed for their first year compared to babies who are breastfed for the first year?
Many hospitals are now implementing a “Baby Friendly” environment in their delivery and mother-baby units. This initiative promotes breastfeeding as the priority feeding method to new mothers and leaves formula feeding by the wayside. Is formula feeding hurting these children or all of the children who have been formula fed up to this point? One study suggests that there is a high use of laxatives in formula-fed infants (Gitte Zachariassen, 2013). …show more content…
They both showed that there is a benefit to breastfeeding over formula feeding in regard to the reaction on the infants’ intestinal function but did not show any significant data on the infants’ immunity or allergies. I think that it would be beneficial to track these groups longer to see the incidence of infection and food related allergies in the long term. The education that is being given out now regarding breastfeeding is important but I believe that more information should be provided about formula feeding and the problems that can occur. Specifically, I think parents should be informed that their infant could be more irritable because they are gassy or constipated if they are only formula fed, this may deter some parents from the use of formula or at least encourage them to supplement with breastmilk. I also think that they should be informed that breastfeeding, while it does contribute to passive immunity, is not the only way to keep your infant healthy. Formula, while more convenient to use at times, is not going to make your infant less healthy but it will not increase their immunity
Anastasia J. Jorgensen
LCC Nursing 165
Is immunity compromised in babies who are formula fed for their first year compared to babies who are breastfed for the first year?
Many hospitals are now implementing a “Baby Friendly” environment in their delivery and mother-baby units. This initiative promotes breastfeeding as the priority feeding method to new mothers and leaves formula feeding by the wayside. Is formula feeding hurting these children or all of the children who have been formula fed up to this point? One study suggests that there is a high use of laxatives in formula-fed infants (Gitte Zachariassen, 2013). …show more content…
They both showed that there is a benefit to breastfeeding over formula feeding in regard to the reaction on the infants’ intestinal function but did not show any significant data on the infants’ immunity or allergies. I think that it would be beneficial to track these groups longer to see the incidence of infection and food related allergies in the long term. The education that is being given out now regarding breastfeeding is important but I believe that more information should be provided about formula feeding and the problems that can occur. Specifically, I think parents should be informed that their infant could be more irritable because they are gassy or constipated if they are only formula fed, this may deter some parents from the use of formula or at least encourage them to supplement with breastmilk. I also think that they should be informed that breastfeeding, while it does contribute to passive immunity, is not the only way to keep your infant healthy. Formula, while more convenient to use at times, is not going to make your infant less healthy but it will not increase their immunity