1. Breast feeding Advantages
2. Breast feeding Disadvantages
3. Bottle feeding Advantages
4. Bottle feeding Disadvantages
5. Storing breast milk

Human milk is the ideal food for human infants:

• Its sugars, protein and fat are properly balanced to suit your baby.
• It provides numerous minerals and vitamins, as well as enzymes that aid the digestion.
• It reduces the risk of acquiring ear infections, allergies, vomiting, diarrhea, pneumonia, wheezing, bronchiolitis, and meningitis.

Physical advantages for mothers include:

• Some evidence shows that breast feeding reduces certain types of cancer.
• It may prevent hip fractures later in life.
• It uses up 500 calories a day.
• It helps the uterus tighten up and return more quickly to its non-pregnant size.

Practical advantages of breast feeding include:

• Relatively low cost
• Needs no preparation
• Is instantly available at any time, wherever you may be

Emotional and psychological benefits:

• Direct skin-to-skin contact for mother and child which is soothing and pleasant
• Hormones that stimulate milk production may also promote feelings that enhance mothering. Most nursing mothers find that it makes them feel more attached and protective toward their babies and more confident about their own abilities to nurture and care for their children.

• When breast feeding is going well, there are no known disadvantages for the baby.  Breast fed babies should be given a vitamin D supplement of 400 IU/day.  Begin this after breastfeeding is well established (when baby is between 2-6 weeks of age). 
• Mother's time will have more demands on it because of the longer and more frequent feedings than with formula.
• Mother's sleep time is shorter between feedings.
• Mother may have to watch her diet:
  • Caffeine can cause baby problems (coffee, tea, chocolate, sodas, some herb teas).
  • Some foods that mother eats may give baby gas or allergic reactions: call our office for specific advice.
  • It is also best not to smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs when nursing.
• Father and siblings may feel "left out". It is important to discuss the issue of breast feeding before baby arrives to make sure that both parents understand and support the choice. Most fathers want their children to receive the best possible nutrition from the start, and without question, that is mother's milk. All family members can actively share in all aspects of caring for and bonding with the baby even though they do not directly feed milk to the baby:
  • Burp baby during feedings, diaper, bathe, hold and carry the baby.
  • Non-nutritive cuddling
  • Comfort of baby and mother
  • Taking responsibility for other family and household tasks
  • Bottle feed the baby with pumped breast milk when mother must be away from baby for a period of time.
• Possible complications of breast feeding (they are not a reason to stop, just get advice to care of them ): cracked and sore nipples, engorgement, mastitis.
• Medical circumstances may make breast feeding inadvisable, but they are rare:
  • If mother is extremely ill, she may not be able to breast feed without interfering with her own recovery.
  • Certain medications mother may need to take, may not be safe for baby. Consult our office about any medications, prescribed or over the counter, which you may be advised to use.

• Bonding and feelings of closeness and comfort occur with bottle feedings.
• Other family members can share in feeding and thus bonding with the baby.
• Gives the mother more freedom and time for duties other than those involving baby care.
• Parents know exactly how much food baby is getting.
• There's no need to worry about the mother's diet or medications.
• Bottle feedings take less time than breast feeding.
• Bottle fed babies tend to sleep longer between feedings.

• Formula is nutritionally close to breast milk, but not exact.
• Formula contains no antibodies and components that only mother's milk contains.
• Formula feeding is costly and not as convenient:
  • Formula must be bought and prepared.
  • Trips to the kitchen in the middle of the night.
  • Extra bottles, nipples, and other equipment.
  • Unintended contamination of formula can also occur.

Breast milk should be stored only in sterile containers, preferably glass or rigid plastic containers or special plastic bags. Baby bottle insert bags are not sufficiently strong or thick enough to protect the milk from contamination. If the milk is to be given to the baby within 48 hours, it should immediately be sealed and cooled. If this refrigerated milk goes unused for more than 48 hours, it should be discarded. It may be frozen after up to 24 hours of refrigeration.

If you know in advance that the milk won't be used for at least 2 days, freeze it immediately. Breast milk will safely keep in your freezer for at least 2 weeks, and probably for up to 2 months. Store it in the back of the freezer. If you have a separate deep freeze, it can be kept for 6 months. Place a label with the date on each container so you can use the oldest milk first. It's useful to freeze milk in quantities of about 3-4 oz - the amount of a single feeding. You can also freeze some 1-2 oz portions; in case baby wants a little extra at any feeding.

To use stored milk, it should be heated to at least room temperature (68-72 F) for feeding. Place the container in warm water and rotate it frequently. To warm it faster, place the container in a pan of water at low heat on the stove. You can also thaw milk by leaving it at room temperature, but this takes much longer and can lead to bacterial growth if left for many hours.

Once milk is thawed, its fat may separate, but it is still safe to use. Just shake the container gently until the milk returns to uniform consistency. Thawed milk should be used within 4 hours. Never refreeze it.