Mary Jane Case Study on Breastfeeding Importance

Mary Jane Case Study on Breastfeeding Importance

Although breastfeeding is a choice, infants and the mother benefit a lot from the exclusive feeding of breast milk. These benefits are felt directly, but the eventual benefits also affect people, especially from low and middle-income families who save a lot of costs, which could have resulted in some illnesses due to lack of enough breastfeeding. Therefore, this is to inform Mary Jane of the importance of ensuring that the child in its infancy feeds exclusively from breast milk, the benefits associated with breastfeeding, and the most effective feeding methods to ensure that the infant has enough milk.

Firstly, breastfeeding for mothers exclusively for six months and after even two years is beneficial to the mother and baby. For the mothers, Mary Jane will bond more with the child and have better healthcare after delivery by reducing the chances of getting diseases such as ovarian cancer, hip joint fracture at the elderly age of 65, and breast cancer (UNICEF). Further, the mother will improve her health and quick recovery after birth by losing the weight fast gained during pregnancy and delaying the return of fertility which enables better family planning and recovery period for the mother. For the child, there are great benefits as well. Children are prone to illnesses and infections in the infancy stage. However, exclusive breastfeeding ensures that the child gets enough milk rich in the antibodies that help build a more robust immune system. As a result, the hospital checks, possible admissions, and illnesses associated with weak immunity as a result of poor breastfeeding can therefore lead to some diseases that can cause sudden death of the infant. Some of these conditions which affect infants include asthma, obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, and cot death, among other infections (UNICEF).

Besides the infections, the costs incurred in treating infants with this infection can be overwhelming for families as well, which can even affect the mother's health, especially in the immediate postnatal stage. Ensuring that the infant is well fed with breast milk can therefore save the children from the pain of ailing and the saving resources that give the children a good start in life (UNICEF). According to the UNICEF's report on the Baby-Friendly Initiative, which advocates for exclusive breastfeeding, a moderate increase in the breastfeeding rate could save millions of pounds, tens of thousands fewer admissions to health facilities, and reduces consultations with the general practitioners due to baby illnesses. This shows how beneficial breastfeeding is not only to the child but also to the world in general.

Finally, some children may not get enough milk to breastfeed, and some mothers may start feeding early or supplementing with formula milk. As much as these alternatives can keep the baby healthy, they also pose a substantial risk to the health of the baby and the mother. In this case, the child may even reduce the amount of breast milk by preferring the formula option or refuse entirely to breastfeed. As a result, the natural immunity from the mothers, which is contained in the milk in the first six months, is lost, leaving the body weak to fight many infections that can cause serious health consequences to the child, such as asthma, among other diseases. Instead, an advice is to change the breastfeeding style to ensure that exclusive feeding is maintained in the infancy stage. UNICEF recommends that the feeding be regular with the day and on average of 20 minutes per breast per feeding to improve the amount of milk intake, which can help build the baby's muscles, clearer speech, more minor infections, and diseases, as well as conditions well as reducing crying.

Work Cited

UNICEF. "The Benefits of Breastfeeding: Baby Friendly Initiative." UNICEF: Baby Friendly Initiative, https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/about/benefits-of-breastfeeding/.

Although breastfeeding is a choice, infants and the mother benefit a lot from the exclusive feeding of breast milk. These benefits are felt directly, but the eventual benefits also affect people, especially from low and middle-income families who save a lot of costs, which could have resulted in some illnesses due to lack of enough breastfeeding. Therefore, this is to inform Mary Jane of the importance of ensuring that the child in its infancy feeds exclusively from breast milk, the benefits associated with breastfeeding, and the most effective feeding methods to ensure that the infant has enough milk.

Firstly, breastfeeding for mothers exclusively for six months and after even two years is beneficial to the mother and baby. For the mothers, Mary Jane will bond more with the child and have better healthcare after delivery by reducing the chances of getting diseases such as ovarian cancer, hip joint fracture at the elderly age of 65, and breast cancer (UNICEF). Further, the mother will improve her health and quick recovery after birth by losing the weight fast gained during pregnancy and delaying the return of fertility which enables better family planning and recovery period for the mother. For the child, there are great benefits as well. Children are prone to illnesses and infections in the infancy stage. However, exclusive breastfeeding ensures that the child gets enough milk rich in the antibodies that help build a more robust immune system. As a result, the hospital checks, possible admissions, and illnesses associated with weak immunity as a result of poor breastfeeding can therefore lead to some diseases that can cause sudden death of the infant. Some of these conditions which affect infants include asthma, obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, and cot death, among other infections (UNICEF).

Besides the infections, the costs incurred in treating infants with this infection can be overwhelming for families as well, which can even affect the mother's health, especially in the immediate postnatal stage. Ensuring that the infant is well fed with breast milk can therefore save the children from the pain of ailing and the saving resources that give the children a good start in life (UNICEF). According to the UNICEF's report on the Baby-Friendly Initiative, which advocates for exclusive breastfeeding, a moderate increase in the breastfeeding rate could save millions of pounds, tens of thousands fewer admissions to health facilities, and reduces consultations with the general practitioners due to baby illnesses. This shows how beneficial breastfeeding is not only to the child but also to the world in general.

Finally, some children may not get enough milk to breastfeed, and some mothers may start feeding early or supplementing with formula milk. As much as these alternatives can keep the baby healthy, they also pose a substantial risk to the health of the baby and the mother. In this case, the child may even reduce the amount of breast milk by preferring the formula option or refuse entirely to breastfeed. As a result, the natural immunity from the mothers, which is contained in the milk in the first six months, is lost, leaving the body weak to fight many infections that can cause serious health consequences to the child, such as asthma, among other diseases. Instead, an advice is to change the breastfeeding style to ensure that exclusive feeding is maintained in the infancy stage. UNICEF recommends that the feeding be regular with the day and on average of 20 minutes per breast per feeding to improve the amount of milk intake, which can help build the baby's muscles, clearer speech, more minor infections, and diseases, as well as conditions well as reducing crying.

Work Cited

UNICEF. "The Benefits of Breastfeeding: Baby Friendly Initiative." UNICEF: Baby Friendly Initiative, https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/about/benefits-of-breastfeeding/.