Essay Example about Breastfeeding and How It Should Be Socially Acceptable

One of the essential characteristics of humanity is the care that they give to the young ones. It is a crucial task because the young ones have the role in carrying our lineage to the next generation to come. For this noble but straightforward reason, every human being desires to give unwavering protection the young ones and to ensure they are fed properly. However, it is clear that the same people are contemptuous when they spot a woman breastfeeding in a social place. Different people have a varied opinions based on where and when women should breastfeed their young ones. Others think it is offensive when women breastfeed in open places (Calnen, 24). Their argument is judgemental rather than understanding. As such, breastfeeding is a private affair that should be done in private places. The term taking "good care" might seem too broad. Ideally, mothers will try their best to breastfeed them not only because they need to stay satisfied but to boost the babies immune as well as creating a motherly bond. Since time immemorial, breastfeeding the baby has been categorized as one of the mother's roles that impact a significantly in the life of a baby (Calnen, 25). The purpose of breastfeeding is so vital to the point that it should be publicly and socially accepted in any place and under whatever circumstance.

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As one of the crucial and natural facets of motherhood, ability to breastfeed the baby is seen as a great gift both to the child and the mother. Breastfeeding has myriads of benefits as it helps mothers to bond with the baby as well as playing a vital role in infant's health. Nonetheless, the act has been viewed with different attitudes. Many people give their opinion that breastfeeding needs to take place in closed areas while others look at it as a normal means of feeding the baby as well as giving the baby his or her rights. The difference in opinion has been a subject of discussion eliciting reaction from the government because there is need to address the concern. As much as there are no laws or rules that bar mothers to breastfeed in public places or within the institutions, many have registered their displeasure to watch women breastfeeding in open areas. What people should learn is that each mother's decision on how to feed the baby is personal. Since many issues touch on ramifications of mother's decision on the baby's health, mothers deserve information, support and guidance with decisions from family and friends as well as the community at large to give unwavering support for breastfeeding the baby in any place.

Due to the sensitivity of the matter, many support groups and societies have documented different views as far as breastfeeding in any place is concerned. The Surgeon General's Call to Action is one of the proponents of the idea. The call to action highlights some of the steps to be taken by the society in a bid to support mothers and babies as they breastfeed. The approach outlined by the Call seeks to rally public health and everyone to marshal effort, reduce inequities within the sphere of quality health care so that mothers and babies can receive support during the breastfeeding period. The emphasis and importance of breastfeeding can be attested by several people who know the role it plays in the life of a child and the mother. Kathleen Sebelius the former secretary of United States department of health and human services wrote in her call to action her memories of breastfeeding and the support she was accorded when she was a young mother (US Department of Health and Human Services, 34). Her experience is a representation of converse of what happens to new mothers today. With particularity to professional or carrier mother, there are many challenges when a mother leaves behind a baby only to come back after work to breastfeed the baby. The states have been called to come in to reinforce laws that give room to mothers at work to break and breastfeed their babies. Besides, rooms meant for this task should be established. Being aware of the issue, she calls all Americans to stand up in support of breastfeeding mothers in their respective communities and to extend the same support to enable mothers to get the proper health care they need.

Promotion, support, and protection of breastfeeding are and will remain critical Public Health needs. According to Healthy People 2010, there are set goals that if implemented will ensure that an increase in both breastfeeding and duration in decreasing disparities in the rate across the population within the United States run out (Shealy et al., 21). Centre for disease control and preventions (CDC) have made breastfeeding one of their primary areas of concern because of the availability of disparities among mothers who do not know the benefits of breastfeeding (Shealy et al., 22). Ideally, why must a mother be discriminated or subjected to scorn because she is breastfeeding the baby in a public or social place? While it is a basic knowledge that breastfeeding an undeniable right for the baby, everyone should strive to accommodate it within and outside their living environs (US Department of Health and Human Services, 36). Instead of the bad treatment, breastfeeding mothers are supposed to be supported by all people. This will call for the creation of suitable areas within the public utilities where mothers go in to breastfeed their babies.

Maternity Care Practice

Maternity care practice is one of an essential facet of support needed by lactating mothers. Experiences gained from maternity care typically exert unique influence on breastfeeding initiation and infant behavior in the later stage of life. In the US, almost all infants are born in the hospitals; this is the point where care begins (Shealy, Katherine et al., 23). As much as their stay in the hospital is typically short, the events that are learned during the stay in the hospital have a lasting meaning. Research has shown that the experiences mothers and newborns acquire in the hospitals affect how likely breastfeeding will take place in the subsequent stages of child growth. Often, these experiences encompass routine practices within the facility level which exposed new mothers to breastfeeding guidelines.

As a result of stigmatization and breastfeeding myths, several mothers have abandoned the duty of breastfeeding. These mothers affected by the public school of thought that breastfeeding can be substituted by making formulas for the baby. This is a bit "convincing" because the public has not been cooperative to define the concepts and importance of breastfeeding to both the baby and the mother. In 2007, an agency for healthcare research made several publications with reviews and meta-analysis based on breastfeeding and its outcome on infant health. What is not known is that formula feeding which is three close substitute of breastfeeding is associated with an increase in childhood infections such as lower respiratory infections and diarrhea.

Breastfeeding: a Psychosocial Effect

In spite of the many advantages derived from breastfeeding, will mother-child bonding as one of the important factors derived from breastfeeding the baby. This is a sense of closeness with a newborn which has been attributed by scores of mothers who exclusively breastfeed not for other benefits but because they feel it creates a bonding element with the newborn (Collins and Ann, 20). In addition to bonding establishment, researchers have posited that it lowers risks of postpartum depression, which is a serious condition affecting almost 15% of mothers.

Economic Effects of Breastfeeding

Coupled with several health advantages derived from breastfeeding, there are economic benefits that are associated with suckling. These economic factors can be realized by employers, families, government and private insurers and the nation at large. For instance, families who are following optimal breastfeeding saves more than $1,2oo to $1,400 as part of expenditure that would be used in buying infant formulas in the first year alone.

One of the main questions that linger whenever the issues of breastfeeding pop out are what goes wrong about a mother nourishing her child in an open place. There nothing wrong. Several people hold a view that women's breast is sexual items; this is contrary because of the main purpose of breast ifs for feeding a baby after birth. Some people are against seeing a woman breastfeeding (Calnen, 26). They assert that it makes them feel "uncomfortable." In many cases, women are asked to vacate the room or to stop breastfeeding especially to those who fell "uncomfortable" these are the score who view breast as items for arousing sexual acts rather than the natural items for providing nourishment to the baby. To those who are against breastfeeding in open places sometimes give flimsy reasons such as the baby is old to breastfeed and ideally, these are judgemental opinions they give (Sheeshka et al., 53). It is important that breastfeeding in public places become a regular thing, it would encourage even the young mothers to since no valid reason bars a woman from breastfeeding her child in open place. It is not only legal to breastfeed us, but several states have amended laws that give protection to women's right to breastfeed in different areas whether private or public.

Work and Breastfeeding

Studies show that new mothers do not necessarily meet breastfeeding goals recommended by medical experts. With particularity to mothers in Pennsylvania, this has been one of the problems they face. The main obstacle that they face is the challenge to maintain a steady supply of milk especially after returning from work. As much as breastfeeding is conventionally seen as a responsibility of the mother, friends, employers and the family at large, some employers blatantly refuse to accommodate mother's needs to breastfeed in between working hours. Ideally, a breastfeeding mother who works needs to express milk in the day during the work because she is not worth the kid. It is necessary that pumping is used with a portable breast pump during the working days to maintain and develop a constant milk supply.

Scores of women especially in Pennsylvania are forced to pump milk in filthy places such janitor's closets and toilets. Others are also forced to pump in public places despite the scorn they receive from the act. Because of problems breastfeeding mothers under do, many states have reinforced laws that compel employers to create safe places for working mothers to breastfeed apart from allowing breaks in between their schedule. The truth is that refusing a mother to express or breastfeed her baby during the day for the cases of working mothers, can lead to physical pain as well as sharp reduction of milk supply. As highlighted earlier, there are myriads of benefits of breastfeeding and mothers should be allowed to breastfeed their babies. Recounting on the benefits of breastfeeding, on is bewildered to learn that breastfeeding is a natural "food" for the child (Sheeshka et al., 56). It strengthens the baby's immune as well as decreasing the risk the risk of sudden death which is occasioned by sudden death infant syndrome. For these reasons and others, American Academy of paediatrics asserted that mothers are supposed to breastfeed their babies at least for six months and preferably one year.

Breastfeeding for six months is one of the goals that become impossible for a working mother since several employers do not grant them safe and private locations to breastfeed in the workplaces. The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF in 2003 made a recommendation to enact imaginative laws for the protection of breastfeeding rights of the carrier woman as well as establishing means for its enforcement (Simpson et al., 29). There was a need that it be considered by...