In recent years especially research consistently shows breastfeeding infants provides a multitude of compelling advantages to:

* Infants
* Mothers
* Families
* Society

These advantages include:

* Health
* Nutritional
* Immunologic
* Developmental
* Psychological
* Social
* Economic
* Environmental

Human milk is uniquely superior for infant feeding. All other commercial substitute feeding options differ markedly from it. Breast milk is easily digested and contains antibodies that can protect infants from bacterial and viral infections. The health benefits to mothers include lower rates of certain breast and ovarian cancers.

Regardless of the superiority of human milk against all other infant feeding options, health professionals agree that there are rare exceptions when human milk is not recommended. Breastfeeding is not advisable if one or more of the following conditions is true:

* The infant is diagnosed with galactosemia (a rare genetic metabolic disorder)

* The infant whose mother has been infected with HIV, is taking antiretroviral medications, has untreated, active tuberculosis, is infected with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I or type II, is using or dependent upon an illicit drug, is taking prescribed cancer chemotherapy agents that interfere with DNA replication and cell division, is undergoing radiation therapies (radiation therapy requires only a temporary interruption in breastfeeding)

Human milk is the preferred feeding for all infants, which includes premature and sick newborns with some rare exceptions. The final decision on breastfeeding an infant is the mothers. It is the role of the pediatricians to provide parents with complete, current information on the benefits and methods of breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding should begin as soon as possible after birth, usually within the first hour.

Newborns should nurse whenever they show signs of hunger, which include:

* Increased alertness or activity
* Mouthing
* Rooting

All the above signs will appear before crying. Crying is a late sign of infant hunger.

Newborns should nurse about 8 to 12 times every 24 hour period until satiety. This is usually accomplished within 10 to 15 minutes on each breast. If the infant is non-demanding in the early weeks after birth, they should be aroused or awakened to feed if 4 hours passes since last nursing.

Do not give supplements such as water, glucose water, formula and so forth to breastfeeding newborns unless advised by a health care professional due to some kind of medical indication. With adequate breastfeeding knowledge and practices, supplements are rarely needed. Pacifiers and supplements should be avoided and if used at all, only after breastfeeding is well established.

Newborns and breastfeeding mothers should be seen by a pediatrician or other knowledgeable health care professional when the newborn is 2 to 4 days of age. At that time, infant weight and a general health assessment should be done as well as observing breastfeeding for evidence of successful breastfeeding behavior. In addition the infant should be assessed for jaundice, adequate hydration and age-appropriate elimination patterns. The infant should have at least six urinations per day and three to four stools per day by 5 to 7 days of age.

Some obstacles to the initiation and continuation of breastfeeding include:

* Insufficient prenatal breastfeeding education
* Inappropriate interruption of breastfeeding
* Early hospital discharge in some populations
* Lack of timely routine follow-up care and postpartum home health visits
* Media portrayal of bottle-feeding as being normal.
* Commercial promotion of infant formula through hospital distributions of discharge packs, coupons for free or discounted formula, television and general magazine advertising

The highest rates of breastfeeding are among higher-income, college-educated women, 30 years of age living in the Mountain and Pacific regions of the United States.

The AAP strongly recommends breastfeeding as the ideal method of feeding and nurturing infants and recognizes breastfeeding as most important in achieving optimal infant and child health, growth and development.

Source: AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.

Connie Limon, Trilogy Field Representative. Visit http://nutritionandhealthhub.com and sign up for a weekly nutrition and health tip. The article collection is available as FREE reprints for your newsletters, websites or blog. Visit http://www.healthylife27.com to purchase an array

How to choose the right breed of dog for you and your family

The importance of choosing the most suitable type of dog breed for your personal circumstances, preferences and limitations simply cannot be stressed enough. While dogs are like people, in the sense that no two dogs have the same personality, it is also true that different breeds exhibit different behaviors and, in fact, are often bred in such a way as to heighten these particular traits. Therefore, it is possible to have a fair idea of how a potential pet will react to different situations on the basis of the breed chosen. A true dog lover will make a special effort to take into consideration all factors to ensure that the breed selected as their pet adapts well to their needs.

Anyone for a Dalmatian?

The first thing to bear in mind is that the type of dog chosen must fit in with your current - or projected - lifestyle. The Dalmatian can serve as a good example. This breed is well known for producing cute little puppies, but what many dog owners don't realize is that they're going to need a great deal of exercise and playing even well into their mature years. So, if you choose this breed, you have to be aware that your dog is going to need the attention and love of a master, or mistress, that has the time for it. It's going to need plenty of physical exercise and mental stimulation to be a truly healthy and happy pet. As you can imagine, this is no easy task.

Considerations

Before you decide on a breed of dog, consider the following questions, as a minimum:

How much time can I, or my family, spend with the dog or puppy?

How often will the dog be left alone, and for how long?

How big is the yard or exercise space?

Is it fenced?

Do I want the dog to be inside the house or outside? For how long?

How much time do I have to walk or exercise the dog?

Do I want a dog that is playful and friendly with everyone or one that is a good watchdog?

How often am I prepared to groom and maintain the dog's coat?

How much time can I spare to work with the dog for training and obedience?

Will there be any small children around the dog?

Are their other pets in the family?

How much money am I prepared to spend on getting - and maintaining - the dog or puppy?

Once you've answered these questions, and any more that may be relevant to your particular situation, you can then start looking at the different dog breeds and their characteristics, in the knowledge that your choice will be based on sound reasoning.

Make sure you get it right

If you're planning to get a new dog or puppy, the breed chosen definitely does matter, both for you and for your future pet. If you spend the time and effort to ensure a good match, you can be much more confident that both you and your pet will be happy - make sure your dog can fit easily into your lifestyle, so that you can give it, in return, the lifestyle it deserves and needs.

Terry Roberts has always been interested in dogs and the way people and their pets get on.