Article Review: “This is Why Breastfeeding is So Important”
According to McGrath (2015), breastfeeding offers an important source of protection for infants, including guarding against “asthma, diabetes, obesity, respiratory infections and ear infections” (par. 1). McGrath also explains the scientific rationale behind the benefits of breastfeeding, noting that the colostrum transmitted through the mother’s breastmilk functions as what she calls the infant’s first vaccine. But while her scientific arguments are convincing that breastfeeding is optimal for the health of the child in many, perhaps even most instances, her argument that it is easier for working women, because breastfeed children are less apt to become ill, is not necessarily true for women who find pumping cumbersome and expensive. The article also does not take into consideration the fact that many women do not produce enough milk for their infants.
The article should provide greater assurance for women who are unable to breastfeed, versus taking a judgmental tone, and its advocacy may make women who cannot breastfeed feel like bad mothers. Also, there are many aspects of women’s lives, such as laboring long hours or working multiple jobs, which may make breastfeeding difficult. By failing to take into these considerations, McGrath does not help her argument. There are many social considerations that can act as an impediment to women breastfeeding, particularly for low-income women with inflexible schedules. Finally, some of the factors which suggest that women who breastfeed have children who are healthier may be connected to the fact that more affluent women breastfeed, implying correlation but not necessarily causation. Higher incomes and socioeconomic status is linked to lower BMIs and a reduced risk of asthma and other health-related concerns. Addressing poverty, not simply promoting breastfeeding, is a critical component of improving the health of children and mothers.
References
McGrath, L. (2015). This is why breastfeeding is so important. Healthy Woman. Retrieved from:https://www.healthywomen.org/content/blog-entry/why-breastfeeding-so- important
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