Child Development and Public Health

The public health topic I chose to write about is breastfeeding.  Breastfeeding was something I decided to give a try when my first son was born in 1995. I wasn’t sure if it would be something I could do, as I was attending college full time when I had him.  Luckily, there were pumps available that allowed me to express milk into bottles so his father and other caregivers were able to help feed him.  My son was fortunate to be solely breastfed for the first six months of his life and then solids and breast milk until he was a year old.  Since I was successful with breastfeeding my first son, I had a strong commitment to offer my other four children breast milk as well. Luckily, I was successful, however because my last two were twins nursing often presented a challenge in the beginning.  There were many nights and days that I cried as I didn’t think that I was going to be able to solely nurse them, like I did the other three.  I was often encouraged to give them formula, but I always declined.  I felt that the twins needed the breast milk as they were five weeks premature.  I wanted them to have the same milk that my other children had.  The thought of giving them formula made me cry.  I was strong and stuck with my desires of only breast milk and we successfully made it to sixteen months.  The motto I go by is Mother’s Milk Is Best!  I always encourage expecting moms to at least give breastfeeding a try,  as I once believed there was no way that I could successfully breastfeed.  Often times, when I interview with families to enroll their newborn in my family childcare program, they ask me if I have a problem with feeding their newborn breast milk.  This is something I do not have a problem with as I believe in supporting parents who want to breastfeed. I also provide an area where they are able to nurse their infants if they choose to while at my home.  Breastfeeding offers the infant and mother so many benefits. For the infant they have a better chance of not catching and infection or developing health issues such as diabetes, obesity and asthma (American Pregnancy Association, 2014).  Breastfeeding offers mothers a time to relax and bond with their little bundle of joy.  It may also help to reduce the risk of ovarian and breast cancer (American Pregnancy Association, 2014). More place these days offer moms places to breastfeed.

In China breastfeeding has declined.  Unfortunately, according to UNICEF China only twenty-eight percent of Chinese infants younger than 6 months are breast-fed exclusively (Tang, 2013).  The low numbers of those that breastfeed began in the 1970’s when infant formula was introduced.  Workplaces do not encourage breastfeeding and many infants are left with grandparents in the country while mom works in the city, therefore, powder formula must be used.  Moms want what is best for their infants and they are inspired by the many baby formula ads and the free samples. China has had many safety scares from commercially prepared milk, which has resulted in recalls. They are hoping this will help mothers and policy makers realize that breast is best (Tang, 2013). China has plans to try an increase breastfeeding over the next seven years. 

American Pregnancy Association. (2014). What’s In Breast Milk? Retrieved from http://americanpregnancy.org/firstyearoflife/whatsinbreastmilk.html

Tang, Didi. (2013, August 9). How China Plans To Raise Breastfeeding Rate 50 Percent In 7 Years. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/12/china-breastfeeding-rate_n_3744038.html