Why I Chose to Breast Feed My Baby

When I was pregnant with my first child, I was faced with the decision as to how I was going to feed the baby. It was not an easy choice. There was so much information out there that I had to sift thru. I talked with my husband about the options and together, we made the choice as to what we thought would be the best for our baby. Some of the things we considered when making our decision was:

What are the health values of breastfeeding a baby? Breast fed babies receive antibodies that are passed from the mother to her baby. These antibodies help with the babies immune system. This is extremely beneficial to a preemie baby. Formula, on the other hand has greatly improved over the years, but still does not have the benefits that the breast milk has. This was one of the greasted factors in our decision making process. Having a child that is sick less often, has fewer ear infections, and spends less time at the doctors office for illness is definetly something we thought was a benefit.

Convience. Breast Milk comes in its very own convient storage contaniers this is generally a 2 pack that do not need to be heated or sterilized. It is always ready to use, and can be served to the infant at the first wimper. There is no running to the store when you realize that you are out, cause you have a non stop supply as long as the baby is breast feeding. Unlike bottle fed babies where you have to mix or shake the bottle. You will have to store it in the fridge to keep it cool and warm it before use. This is all very time consuming and often the baby becomes pretty upset while waiting for the bottle to heat.

Less tummy trouble. Many breast fed babies have less tummy trouble compaired to the bottle feed babies. Bottle fed infants have more difficulties with digestion than do breast fed infants. Breast milk tends to be more easily digested so that breast fed babies have fewer incidences constipation. One downfall was breast fed babies tend to breast feed every 2-3 hours at first. This includes the night time. Where as bottle fed babies tend to sleep longer at night and take a bottle less often. I personally was up for the challenge of feeding my baby thru the night. It was much easier than I had thought it would be.

Breast Milk is free! I am all about saving a little here and there when possible. Breast milk does not cost a cent. There is no running to the store to get formula. You just simply eat a healthy breakfast, lunch, dinner, and healthy snacks, drink plenty of water, and your body will do the work for you. Formula is not cheap by any means. You can purchase Similac with Iron Ready To Feed 32-fl-oz plastic bottles case of 6 for $42. That might not seem like much to you, but that is only 24 - 8 ounce bottles. That is not a full month and you have already spent $42! That is $42 that you can spend on your groceries for your entire family when you choose to breast feed.

There are many reasons to choose to breast feed. The choice is something only you can make. But I ask that you consider some of the reasons I provided when making your decisions.