Sharon's Sample Work

Article: The Breastfeeding Experience- New Mommy Newsletter Boston, MA

For an expectant couple, pregnancy is an amazing time of their lives, filled with mystery and suspense. Hundreds of questions burn on their minds, like, 'What will the baby look like?' 'Will he or she be healthy?' 'How will I know what he or she wants?' 'Will I be a good parent?' These questions continue throughout the seemingly never-ending pregnancy.

Then, at long last, the baby arrives. For Dad, the excitement of getting acquainted with his new son or daughter has just begun. For Mom, however, there is a strange mixture of joy and sadness, as she realizes that her physical connection to her baby has come to an end. Just as she begins to wonder how to recapture that special feeling that she can't quite describe, nature surprises her with a remarkable gift-breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is a wonderful experience, that offers many emotional and physical benefits. For the newborn, it is a time to develop trust in their parent, as they stare into her eyes while they nurse. For Mom, it is an opportunity to sit and rest, which is an important part of recovering from childbirth. This is also a wonderful time to find the answer to the question, how will I know what my baby wants? During nursing, she may learn her baby's likes and dislikes, moods, sleeping and eating habits. It is a great time for Mom and Baby to develop instincts about one another, and to re-form the bond they shared when baby lived inside the womb.

Breastfeeding also offers countless health advantages for both Mom and Baby. For Mom, the requirements of a breastfeeding diet gives her further motivation to eat healthy foods, get rest (when she can) and generally take good care of herself. After all, she and her baby benefit from her self-care.

For the Baby, breast milk is the best way to get a healthy, happy start in life. The breast milk that baby receives is designed specifically for them, based on their needs from birth. The milk is a complete meal also, containing all of the nutrients that he or she needs, and almost 100 ingredients that have never been duplicated in commercial formulas. Breastmilk boosts the immune system of a newborn from their first feeding, to protect their delicate systems from infections and illness. Among the numerous other benefits of nursing are fewer ear infections, little to no episodes of colic, and less gas than bottle-fed infants.

Further studies have indicated that breastfeeding benefits the baby into adulthood, showing kids who were breastfed as infants have better school performance, and a more even temperament.

For Dad, breastfeeding does not exclude him from the bonding process. In addition to other activities like bathing and playing, either Mom or Dad can feed a baby weaned to a bottle of breast milk. Both parents should decide when Baby is ready for bottle weaning, as long as they put good things like Mother's milk into the bottle.

Breastfeeding offers convenience and economic advantages as well, with no expense for formulas, bottle brushes, or costly bottle carrying and warming equipment. If bottle-feeding is an option, a breast pump is a wonderful tool that can be rented, purchased, or donated. Mom can feed Baby anywhere, because breast milk is always the right temperature, and Baby trusts the place it's coming from.

For Mom, Dad, and Baby, breastfeeding offers a chance for their family to form. A family that will feel proud, knowing they have laid a solid foundation that will last a lifetime.

copyright 2000, Sharon Nicole Daugherty