Leticia, Lopez

ENC 1101
July 2, 2014
Annotated Bibliography: Breastfeeding Advocacy
Doolan, Paul. Nursing Times. History Today; Vol. 58 Issue 12 December 2008,
p24-30, 7p Ebsco Host.
Breastfeeding is being controversial since the beginning of human life. According
to UNICEF in 2007 one and a half million babies died because of contaminated infant
formula. Before farming was introduce babies where breastfeed by their mothers oor by
another woman called wet nurse. Homo sapiens for example, they didnt have other
option, they had to breastfeed or their babies will die. Egyptians, Geeks and Romans left
us with paintings and sculptures symbolizing the importance of mothers or wet nurses.
The concept of sacred milk was widespread by the Egyptians to the Greco-Roman world.
In Egypt the riches families were the ones who hired a wet nurse, its been known as the
second oldest job. For a wet nurse her job was so important that her own children were
considered milk siblings to the pharaoh. Also the Greeks would hire wet nurses to feed
slaves babies, because for them that meant to have more slaves in the future. Greek and
Roman authors like Aristotle, Pliny, Cicero, Tacitus and Plutarch were against wet
nurses, they said it was a womans duty to nurse her own children. As its been known
breastfeeding is a natural contraceptive, aristocrats handed their infants to wet nurses so
they could get access of theirs wifes sexual favors, and also to ensure the birth of more
children. In 1792 Marie Antoniette publish her seminal Vindication of the Rights of
Women, on the text she agree with the right for every women to breastfeed her own
children, not because she is biologically determined nor because she is suppose to do it,
but because she has the right to do it. By doing this, woman would be free from theirs
husband sexual pleasure. By the second half of the 19
th
century the breast found a
competitor, it was the baby formula. Until today the combination of contaminated water
and formula kills hundred of thousand of infants a year. Even dough the women body its
been use to sell cars, to is available to the public, still the breastfeeding act creates
controversy.

Gartner, Laurence. Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk. Pediatrics. Vol.
115 No. 2 February 1, 2005: page # 496-500. Web June 2014.

After an intensive research, it has been shown the importance of breastfeeding
and the use of mothers milk to mothers, babies and society. The advantages include
health, nutritional, immunologic, developmental, psychological, social, economical, and
environmental benefits. Why human milk is unlikely superior to formulas? Because
formulas are design to fit different babies in different situations, it also has to be measure
for consumption depending in the health, grow and development. Another difference is
that premature infants receive significant benefits from human milk that will persist for
the rest of their lives. Bacterial meningitis, otitis media, urinary tract infections, diabetes
type 1 and 2, lymphoma, leukemia, overweight and obesity, asthma, late-onset in preterm
babies and more can be prevented with breastfeeding. When a baby is breastfeed, not
only the baby gets benefits but the mother too. Those benefits include: decreased post
partum bleeding, decreased menstrual blood loss and increase child spacing, earlier return
to pre-pregnancy weight, decrease the risk of ovarian cancer and decrease the risk of hip
fractures and osteoporosis. Also the community see benefits from breastfeeding as less
money spend in the making, the transportation and the disposal of formula. Because
infants are healthier than formula feed, there is no need for parents to miss workdays, and
can spend more with their families. Also the community saves money because there are
less kids in the hospitals, the costs will decrease approximately around $3.5 billions in the
US only. Promoting, protecting and supporting are some of the goals pediatricians have.
With effort and education to the families and the community, they have been helping and
encouraging when promoting breastfeeding.
Markoe, Lauren. "Breast-feeding, on the rise, remains an issue in pews." The Christian
Century 131.3 (2014): Academic OneFile. Web. 4 July 2014.
Mothers now in days still feel the pressure of breastfeeding in public, even in
church. People want them to nurse their babies in a bench away from them. What these
mothers say to them? Well, that Jesus was breastfeed too. In December 2013, the Pope
Francis saw a young mother that was feeling shy because she was breastfeeding her
infant in a general audience, he said, I wish to say the same to humanity: give people to
something to eat! That woman had milk to give to her child; we have enough food to feed
everyone. Although more American woman are breastfeeding their babies, they still feel
the disappointment in public. But no all churches disapprove the act of breastfeeding,
many Mormon churches in Utah have a 9% points higher than the national average, why?
Because they welcome nursing mothers. For some it is also contradictory what they do,
many La Leche League meetings are held in different churches, but people from these
communities still feel uncomfortable on Sundays when these same mother go to hear the
voice of god. It is a shame that breastfeeding is an issue everywhere, its what women
body are made for said Barbara Emanuel, executive director of La Leche.
Murtagh, Lindsey and Moulton, Anthony. Working Mothers, Breastfeeding, and
the Law. American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 101 Issue 2 Feb2011: page 217-
223.web Ebsco host, June 2014.
The biggest problems for breastfeeding mothers are work barriers. In 2010 the
reasonable break time passed. Thanks to this act mothers are able to pump for (not
feed ) children younger than 1 year old. Because immediate and long-term benefits are
seen in babies and mothers The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive
breastfeeding between 6 to 12 months. 35.5% of mothers work full time and 16.1% work
part-time, therefore improving the ability to pump and store milk in their job would help
breastfeeding babies. The lack of privacy and time to express the milk while working
affects mothers in their decision when returning to work. Its been known that professional
women do better in breastfeeding and storing milk at their job comparing wirh different
occupations as retail sales, administrative support and construction trades even if they
work for the same company. Working mothers desiring to breastfeed tried 3 times in
congress to pass a law between 1981 and 1978 but it was without success. Lactating
mothers need to breastfeed or to express to maintain a good milk supply. Some states
after 2010 passed some regulations so mothers can have reasonable break times to
breastfeed or to express, and for employers to provide private locations to accommodate
mothers. In the nation 8 jurisdictions prohibit employees to discriminate the breastfeeding
in the workplace or expressing of the milk.
Walker, Allan. Eat, Play, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to
Healthy Eating for Kids. New York McGraw-Hill. 2005. E-book. (EbscoHost)
Choosing formula or breastfeeding is a decision that will affect babies for the rest
of their life. When a baby drinks formula or breast milk still survive and grow, but the
quality is the difference between them. Nature knows best, not all of the properties that
are found in breast milk are found in formula. Since 1990 formula companies have been
changing their components, and finding new ways to make it better, but they still cant
find how to make it like the human milk, its similar but not as similar as they want. Both
of them have the same composition, water, lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and
minerals; but looking at them closely they differ in different areas. Some properties witch
are missing in formula are, lactoferrin, and immunoglobulin. These help babies to prevent
infections. Why breastfed babies get hungrier faster? Well, because the carbohydrates
they get in human milk get are easier to digest compare to formula carbohydrates. Human
milk not only contains lactose (formula too), but breast milk also contains
oligosaccharides, these are complex and easy to digest. On the other hand fats are
complicated, formula companies not only are reluctant to add cholesterol to their product,
but also they just started to add Omega3 fatty acids; scientist still cant understand how
these could benefit a newborn or infant.