 BREASTFEEDING
SIKH WOMEN
NURSING CARE
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 The World Health Organization recommends that all mothers should feed their infants only breastmilk from birth until four to six months of age (Breastfeeding Promotion, n.d.). Breastmilk is considered to be the most cost-efficient, disease preventing, and health promoting means of nutrition that any human infant can receive. There are several benefits of breastfeeding such as, the economic benefits, as well as benefits embodied by the infant, developing child, and mother.
The cost of infant formula can greatly impact the expenditures of families who have a low-income. The cost of formula affects the financial situation of people living in developing countries even more frequently. Literature supports that there are extensive economic benefits of breastfeeding and breastmilk for the government, health care institutions, corporate sectors, society, and most importantly families (Gupta & Khanna, 1999). Infants who are not breastfed visit their doctors more frequently, and have more hospitalizations and prescriptions than breastfed infants, during their first year of life (Breastfeeding Promotion, n.d.). Economically the government also benefits from women breastfeeding due to the decrease in sickness and mortality rates among newborns. It is also known that when bottle-fed infants become ill they stay compromised for a longer duration of time when compared to breastfed infants, which can increase the amount of time spent in the hospital. When infants are not breastfed their mother's are three times more likely to have an absence from work when compared to infants who are breastfed. The corporate sectors would benefit from employees not having extensive absences from work due to illnesses, which affect infants (Breastfeeding Promotions; Gupta & Khanna). |
Breastmilk is made up of minerals and electrolytes, which are ideal for growth during infancy. Breastmilk is also higher in lactose when compared to infant formula. Lactose is digested easily by the body, and is readily available for the cells to use as energy (Pillitteri, 1999). Breastfeeding allows infants to benefit from the essential nutrients found in breastmilk. After a period of breastfeeding for four months, the benefits of breastfeeding are noticeable. Breastmilk has been proven effective for providing immunity and assisting with growth and development. Other benefits of breastfeeding include reduction in the risk of having diarrhea, urinary tract infections, asthma, otitis media, sudden infant death syndrome, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, Crohn's disease, respiratory tract infections and leukemia (Dennis; Frost & Sullivan, 2001). There is also a unique bond that is shared between mother and infant while breastfeeding. Breastfeeding during infancy can impact the lives of children in later years. Studies have shown that cognitive and neurodevelopment are higher in children who were breastfed as infants for a minimum duration of six months (Dennis, 2002; Frost & Sullivan, 2001). Obesity is another health issue that seems to be apparent in present-day literature due to the increasing rate of obesity among children. Research suggests that children who were breastfed during infancy have a lower risk of being obese than children who were formula fed.