Breastfeeding VS Bottle

Studies indicate that breast milk is the ideal form of nutrition for newborn babies as breast milk is naturally meant to meet the needs of human offspring. Regardless of the numerous ‘revolutionary’ discoveries in the baby formula market, it truly is difficult to argue with the advantages of feeding with breast milk.

Not only does breast milk cover all the vital nutrients and fuel that a newborn baby needs, it also contains antibodies to encourage a strong immunity in the early stages of life, and steady immunity development as the baby grows, protecting them from infection and sickness that newborns are so vulnerable to.

As a general rule, bottle-fed babies have a lower immunity against these illnesses. Moreover, breast-fed children are less prone to developing allergies. This is one of the biggest advantages of breastfeeding over bottle feeding.

Through years of research and development by scientists working for baby formula companies, a rather comprehensive alternative to breast milk is available off the shelf, however there are some components found in breast milk that are yet unidentified, thus cannot be manufactured. This leads the scientists to conclude that breast milk is indeed much more complex than first thought. Although the FDA requires that products sold as ‘baby formula’ must contain the same known nutrients as breast milk, these formulas are far from being a perfect option.

An interesting fact is that breast-fed children seem to be less prone to overeating weight complications. It appears that the special formulation of breast milk encourages healthy development of appetite and metabolism.

Breast milk is easier for young babies to digest and is less likely to cause constipation or diarrhea. As your baby is able to digest food faster than bottle milk, bodily development is also more efficient. One downside for mothers is as the milk is processed so quickly, your baby will probably need feeding every three hours.

Studies have shown that breast-fed babies show clear signs of increased intelligence in later life. This may be a direct result of the healthier immune system and bodily development, or some other unknown factor of breast milk.

Ultimately, choosing whether to breast-feed or bottle-feed is strictly the decision of the parents of the baby as there are convenience issues to take into account as well. Most pediatricians you talk to will recommend that when possible, breast feeding is the best option.