The subject of this paper is the effects of breast-feeding on infant nutrition and development as compared to the effects of bottle feeding. The issue of breast-feeding versus bottle feeding has been greatly debated by scientists, pediatricians and parents. Determining the benefits of breast-feeding infants is critical in enabling parents to make an informative choice when deciding to breast-feed or bottle feed their infants. Some scientists have found that breast milk contains elements that provide greater immunity to infants than formula milk, thus preventing them from getting infections (Rosenblith, 1992, p. 169). Furthermore, there is a close association between maternal-infant bonding and breast-feeding (Rosenblith, 1992, p. 169). Breast-feeding requires constant intimate physical contact between the mother and infant. After birth, the mother needs the baby to nurse in order to stimulate the initial flow of milk. The more the baby nurses, the greater the flow of the milk (Rosenblith, 1992, p. 167-168). Therefore, breast-feeding contributes to the relationship between the mother and infant, which ultimately has a positive impact on the development of the infant.
In fact, some researchers have focused on the effects of the breast-feeding and early mother-child contact on infants. Klaus and Kennell (1976) found that more infants in the experimental group, who were allowed to interact with their mothers immediately after delivery, continued to breast-feed at six months than those in the control group who did not enjoy the early contact (in Rosenblith, 1992, p. 169). In addition, each infant in the experimental group weighed on average 1.5 pound more than its counterpart in the control group. The experimental group infants also had fewer infections than the control group infants (Rosenblith, 1992, p. 169).
Other researchers also found that breast-feeding protected infants from contracting various infant illnesses. Watkins et a...