Breast-Feeding Vs Formula

Words: 1539
Pages: 7

“The Ideal and the Real of Breast-Feeding,” an article written by Jane E. Brody of The
New York Times (2012), talks about the difficulties of breast-feeding and the misunderstanding of the importance of breast-feeding. Many mothers find it difficult to breast-feed due to many reasons such as latching problems, lack of milk production, lack of time due to insufficient maternity leave, or just inconvenience because of the amount of time that breast-feeding a baby requires. Some doctors provide inaccurate information about breast-feeding compared to formula feeding and also some new information suggests that breast-feeding may not be so much better than formula than has been suggested. There is a big breast-feeding movement going on and women who are not able to
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Also, in undeveloped countries or poor areas, formula is mixed with unsafe water or it is diluted to make the expensive formula last longer. In those cases, formula can actually be harmful to babies.
Brody makes a great point about how the pressure to breast-feed is sometimes unrealistic and can make mothers feel guilty if they are incapable, though she doesn’t really touch on the benefits of breast-feeding. The textbook explains in detail the benefits of breast-feeding, though it doesn’t mention the difficulties that can come with it. Both of the documents are missing information that the other provides. I would say that the article is equally substantial when compared to the textbook because they both cover different point of views. If a person was researching whether breast-feeding would be good for them, I would suggest they read both documents to better understand not only the benefits but also the pitfalls that can come with breast-feeding. From the article, I have learned that some people find breast-feeding to be near impossible and that the benefits of breast milk have been called in to question. From the