Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is the name for taking milk from the nipple of the mother or another woman producing milk. The process is known as suckling when it occurs among mammals. Breastfeeding is widely regarded as the safest and healthiest form of feeding a baby but other forms of nutrition are possible and may be preferable when the mother suffers from ill health or if genetic disorders or disease might be passed to the child. Certain social and cultural factors are also relevant to the decision as to whether or not to breastfeed.

Milk is produced in the mammary glands, located in the breasts. Production is regulated by the hormonal system, which governs bodily changes and adaptations throughout the period of pregnancy. Although some milk is produced during pregnancy, it is only available in sufficient quantity for feeding after birth takes place. Generally, the amount of milk produced by the mammary glands is sufficient for the child or children but this is not automatically the case. When there is a mismatch, breast pumps may be used to stimulate production or remove excess milk, since in the latter case this can lead to engorgement, a sometimes painful condition. The breast pump is a manually or electrically operated machine and the milk produced may subsequently be stored in a suitable container and location and used to feed a child when the mother is not directly available. Although breastfeeding is a natural behavior and can help develop the bond between mother and child, it is not an instinctual behavior and will need to be learned by observation or teaching.

The World Health Organization (WHO) argues as a matter of scientific principle that women should breastfeed their children exclusively, since this will promote recovery from illness while reducing the risks of diarrhea and pneumonia, among other diseases. The WHO stipulates that children should be breastfed exclusively, without being offered even water, let alone any other form of sustenance, should be fed on demand 24 hours a day, and the process should begin within one hour of birth. No artificial teats or pacifiers should be used. The mother is also protected to some extent, since breastfeeding reduces the wom-an's risk of developing ovarian or breast cancer.

Breastfeeding is widely regarded as the best method of feeding a baby, with health benefits to both the mother and child.

In some countries, children may be breastfed until the age of 6 or 7, at least as a supplement to a solid diet. However, the WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months, which should be supplemented and then substituted by alternative nourishment at about the age of 2. In previous decades, aggressive marketing techniques of artificial milk preparations, particularly [Page 308]in the developing world, resulted in large numbers of children receiving inappropriate nourishment and suffering often severe health problems. Administered properly and in suitable situations, these forms of powdered milk may be used successfully but careful supervision and education of mothers is necessary.

Although transmission of HIV from mother to child may occur in the womb and during the period of breast-feeding, with an apparently cumulatively increasing risk as the period of breastfeeding continues, new research suggests that exclusive breastfeeding suppresses transmission much more than mixed feeding. In countries with high rates of HIV occurrence, the benefits to the baby's ability to resist disease have meant that only approximately half the number of deaths of babies occurred with exclusively breastfed babies compared to those whose diet was supplemented by artificial milk powder, porridge, and other foodstuffs.

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