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Breastfeeding Action Plan

My name is Susan Turcios. I plan to exclusively breastfeed my baby for six months
after birth. After the six months, I will continue breastfeeding my baby but will also provide
him/her with supplements and other baby foods. I intend to achieve this goal using the action
plan I have described here.

Actions to Take Immediately After Birth of My Baby

Immediately after birth, I want my baby to be placed with me so that I can breastfeed
him/her skin-to-skin for at least an hour per day. If for medical or other reasons I am unable to
breastfeed my baby at the time of his/her birth, I wish that the baby still be breastfeed by
another person. That is why I will go to the hospital with a wet nurse when I am due to deliver.
Additionally, if my baby is not well enough to breastfeed immediately after birth and requires
special care, I intend to start breastfeeding him/her skin-to-skin immediately the baby gets
well and is able to breastfeed.

Actions to Take During My Hospital Stay

Throughout my stay at the hospital, I intend to exclusively breastfeed my baby. For
this to happen, I plan to stay with my baby every minute of the day. By staying with the baby
throughout the day, I will be able to watch him/her for any feeding cues. I will then breastfeed
him/her any time it shows signs of hunger. If for some reason the baby is separated from me, I
hope to learn how to pump breast milk so that my baby can continue feeding on my breast
milk.

Actions to Take After Discharge

After being discharged from the hospital, I intend to continue exclusively breastfeeding
my baby through keenly watching his/her hunger cues and responding accordingly. To ensure

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that my baby receives enough breast milk, I will endeavor to breastfeed him/her at least 8
times each day. I will carefully monitor the baby’s progress to determine whether I am feeding
him/her with enough breast milk or not and whether he/she is developing in a healthy manner.
For instance, I will check out if the baby is passing stool and urine in normal number of times,
I will give him/her daily dosages of vitamin D, and will have him/her weighed on baby scale
every two weeks.

Actions to Take During the Baby’s Growth

As the baby grows, he/she might need to be fed for longer periods and more often than
when they are days or weeks old. I will, therefore, continue breastfeeding the baby in response
to his/her hunger cues. To make sure that I have enough breast milk for the baby, I will ensure
that I eat healthy meals when hungry and drink enough water when feeling thirsty. I will also
need to have adequate rest. However, I understand that getting enough rest when caring for a
baby may be hard. I will, therefore, adjust my sleeping patterns to correspond to those of the
baby.

Action to Take After Three Months

My plan is to breastfeed my baby exclusively for six months. However, after three
months I will have to return to work. I intend to talk to my boss to explore ways of supporting
my continued breastfeeding of the baby. I will propose working from home for three months
or being allowed to come with my baby to work so that I can continue breastfeeding him/her
while on job. If these proposals will not be accepted I will be pumping and storing my breast
milk to be given to the baby during the period I will be away at work.
Action to Take After Six Months

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It is recommended that babies feed exclusively on breast milk for the first six months
of their lives. I intend to strictly follow this recommendation. After six months I will start
offering the baby some solid food in addition to my breast milk. I will know that my baby is
ready to start taking solid foods when he/she starts showing signs of readiness that include
turning head away when they are full, showing better control of the head, and ability to sit,
even if it is just for a short while. I will continue breastfeeding my baby even after six months
until such a time when both of us will be ready to wean. This is a process that will occur
gradually with my body progressively decreasing the amount of milk it produces until it stops
the breast milk production altogether. In case I decide to stop the breastfeeding before the
baby becomes ready I will simply reduce the breastfeeding gradually so that I do not suffer
from sore breasts.

Local Community Agencies for Breastfeeding Support

Many mothers who plan to breastfeed their babies for long fail to meet their goals
because of lack of adequate information and social support. I will, therefore, establish contact
with two local community agencies for information and other forms of support regarding
breastfeeding. These agencies are local chapters of La Leche League and Baby Café. La Leche
League provides both group and individualized help to pregnant women and mothers. Its main
services are provision of accurate information that helps mothers provide their babies with
optimal breastfeeding (La Leche League, 2020). It provides the information for free. One can
contact the agencies staff via text message, phone call or email.
Like La Leche League, Baby Café provides pregnant women and mothers with
information they need to properly breastfeed their babies (Baby Café USA, 2020). The agency
holds meetings once a week in local community hall. These meetings are run by accredited

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breastfeeding counsellors and health professionals, such as midwives and nurses. They are
open to all pregnant women and mothers and the services offered are free.
Obstacles to My Breast Feeding Plans

The main obstacle to my breast feeding plan is returning to work before the six months
period I intend to feed my baby exclusively on my breast milk. Even if my boss allows me to
breastfeed at work, it will still be a challenge because it is not a common practice at my work
place. My colleagues will probably react negatively to such an arrangement. I am also not
comfortable breastfeeding in public. I will, however, try to make the best out of every situation
and put the interests of my child above everything else.
Conclusion

I chose breastfeeding as my lot in life because I strongly believe that it is a practice
that should be encouraged among mothers. My research into its benefits confirmed this belief.
The research about breastfeeding has made realize just how important a role parents play in
the physical and emotional development of children. Through breastfeeding, babies get
important nutrients that they need to develop into healthy children. They also develop a very
close emotional attachment to their mother which has an impact on their behaviors in
childhood.

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References

Baby Café USA (2020). What is Baby Café USA? Retrieved on 28 th April, 2020 from
http://www.babycafeusa.org/what-is-a-baby-cafe.html
La Leche League USA (2020). About Us. LLL USA. Retrieved on 28 th April, 2020 from
https://lllusa.org/about-us/

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Journal Entry on Breastfeeding

In the next three months I will be having my first child. I cannot describe how excited I
am at the thought of being called a mother. It is something that I have always dreamt of since
my teenage years.
I have some worries though. I need to return to work three months after giving birth. I
am worried that three months will not be enough for my child to have been breastfed
adequately. Knowing how important breastfeeding is, it has always been my desire to feed my
child exclusively on breast milk for at least six months after birth. Breastfeeding for that
amount of time will provide the baby with all the nutrional and emotional benefits of a
mother’s milk. Research has shown that breastfeeding offers babies with protection against
various allergies, obesity, and respiratory infections (Brahm & Valdes, 2017). It also improves
a child’s oral and vision development, enhances their cognitive development, and improves
the functioning of their kidneys and cardiovascular system (Yasmeen et al., 2019). Equally
important, breastfeeding will create a strong emotional bond between me and the child.
I fear that my child will miss out on these benefits if I have to return to work after just
three months of giving birth. I also cannot resign from my job to fully concentrate on taking
care of my child because I desperately need my income to take care of myself and the child.
That is why I need something in-between. Since I am determined to breastfeed my child for as
long as possible and also keep my job, I am planning to request my boss to provide me with a
flexible work schedule. For instance, I may work from home for some days or work half days.
Such flexibility will allow me to have adequate time for breastfeeding my child.

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References

Brahm, P., & Valdes, V. (2017). Benefits of breastfeeding and risks associated with not
breastfeeding. Rev Chil Pediatr, 88(1), 15-21.
Yasmeen, T., Kumar, S., Sinha, S., Haque, M. A., Singh, V., & Sinha, S. (2019). Benefits of
Breastfeeding for Early Growth and Long Term Obesity: A Summarized Review.
BENEFITS, 3(1).

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Breastfeeding Research Paper

The benefits of breastfeeding to both the mother and the infant are many. However, as
Rollins et al. (2016) note, the recommended exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of
an infant is no longer the norm in many communities as a result of various barriers to
breastfeeding. The result is that many mothers fail to breastfeed their children adequately thus
denying themselves and their children the valuable benefits of breastfeeding. For breastfeeding
levels to increase, it is important to effectively address challenges that prevent many mothers
from breastfeeding their children for the recommended duration. This paper examines benefits
of breastfeeding, barriers to the practice, and what can be done to overcome the barriers.

Barriers to Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding has many benefits for infants and mothers. According to Victora et al.
(2016), breastfeeding increases intelligence of children and offers them protection against
many infections. It has also been associated with reducing possibility of children developing
diabetes or obesity. This view is supported by Binns, Lee, & Low (2016) who found that in
addition to enhancing cognitive development of children, breastfeeding also offers long-term
protection to children against chronic diseases. These diseases include cardiovascular diseases,
hypertension, obesity, and both type 1 and 2 diabetes (Binns, Lee, & Low, 2016).
Breastfeeding, therefore, plays an important role in the health of a child.
According to Oddy (2017), these benefits of breastfeeding are due to the contents of
breast milk. The human milk has many immunological contents which provide infants with
protection against various allergic diseases and infections (Oddy, 2017). The milk’s bioactivity
and nutritional content also promotes an infant’s healthy development (Oddy, 2017). Such are

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the benefits of breastfeeding to children that Victora et al. (2016) estimates that 823,000
annual deaths of children below five years old would be prevented if breastfeeding rates
increased to near universal levels. Breastfeeding, therefore, is key to reducing hundreds of
thousands of infant deaths.
It is not just infants that benefit from breastfeeding; mothers too do. According to
Victora et al. (2016), breastfeeding offers nursing women and mothers protection against
various diseases and health conditions. They include protection against type 2 diabetes and
ovarian cancer (Victora et al., 2016). Breastfeeding also allows mothers, particularly in poor
countries, to space their children in an effective manner (Victora et al., 2016). The practice
also helps mothers to establish long-term bond with their children (Victora et al., 2016). The
benefits of breastfeeding to mothers are, therefore, just as many and as important to those that
children get.

Barriers to Breastfeeding

Despite overwhelming evidence supporting breastfeeding to both mothers and
children, not many mothers breastfeed their children adequately. The American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that mothers exclusively breastfeed their
children for the first six months of their life (Breastfeeding Expert Work Group, 2016). After
the first six months, they should continue breastfeeding but begin introducing complementary
foods for the infant. This can go on for a year or longer. Unfortunately, few mothers follow
these recommendations. Breastfeeding Expert Work Group (2016) found out that more than
half of American mothers wean earlier than recommended for various reasons. Thus, the
children and their mothers end up not enjoying the full benefits of breastfeeding.

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There are many barriers that keep women from adequately breastfeeding their children
or weaning earlier than recommended. According to Anstey et al. (2017), these factors include
poor social and family support, lack of breastfeeding knowledge, having work environments
that are not supportive to breastfeeding, and unsupportive social and cultural norms.
These barriers, however, do not affect all women equally. Although overall
breastfeeding rates have been increasing in recent years, there still remain major racial
disparities in breastfeeding durations (Anstey et al., 2017). In particular, black infants continue
to have much lower breastfeeding rates when compared to other racial groups (Anstey et al.,
2017). According to Anstey et al. (2017), the reason why black women breastfeed their
children less than other racial groups is because the barriers examined above
disproportionately affect black. For instance, black women are more likely to have insufficient
breastfeeding information, lack breastfeeding support from professionals, and have to return
earlier to work after having a child (Anstey et al., 2017). As a result of inadequate
breastfeeding, blacks tend to experience higher levels of disease burden associated with
suboptimal breastfeeding (Bartrick et al., 2017). For instance, black women are 3.3 times more
likely to have necrotizing enterocolitis than white women (Bartrick et al., 2017). Thus,
addressing barriers to breastfeeding will go a long way in reducing racial disparities in
healthcare outcomes of children and their mothers.
Another major barrier to breastfeeding is increasing supply of breastfeeding
substitutes. The sales of these substitutes amount to $44.86 billion in worldwide in 2014
(Rollins et al., 2016). Aggressive marketing of these products has led to their widespread use
among mothers, especially from affluent countries. As long as these substitute products

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continue being advertised as being just as good as a mother’s breast milk, many women are
going to use them instead of breastfeeding their children.
Reducing Barriers to Breastfeeding

For breastfeeding to have near universal levels, it is important to address the barriers
that prevent many women from adequately breastfeeding their children. According to Rollins
et al. (2016), addressing the barriers to breastfeeding should be done using policy and legal
directives to help improve employment conditions of women, such as improving levels of
work flexibility for mothers. The legal and policy directives should also seek to change values
and social attitudes that are unsupportive to breastfeeding, and enhance healthcare services
that support better breastfeeding of women. These interventions, when delivered in an
appropriate manner have the ability to significantly improve breastfeeding levels.
One policy initiative that has been recommended as a strategy of increasing
breastfeeding levels is paid family leave. According to Pac et al. (2019), paid family leave
increases the likelihood of mothers breastfeeding their infants for more than six months. It also
increases the duration of breastfeeding. Giving women longer maternal leave has also been
found to increase levels of breastfeeding (Anstey et al., 2017). Additionally, breastfeeding
levels can be increased through conducting of educational programs to educate mothers about
the value of breastfeeding to themselves and to their infants (Anstey et al., 2017).

Conclusion

There are many benefits that infants and mothers get through breastfeeding. These
benefits are not just limited to their health. They extend to physical and cognitive development
among children and emotional and psychological benefits among mothers. Many mothers and
children, however, fail to get these benefits because of various barriers breastfeeding.

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Overcoming these barriers through policy and legal initiatives will significantly increase levels
of breastfeeding.

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References

Anstey, E. H., Chen, J., Elam-Evans, L. D., & Perrine, C. G. (2017). Racial and geographic
differences in breastfeeding—United States, 2011–2015. MMWR. Morbidity and
mortality weekly report, 66(27), 723.
Bartick, M. C., Jegier, B. J., Green, B. D., Schwarz, E. B., Reinhold, A. G., & Stuebe, A. M.
(2017). Disparities in breastfeeding: impact on maternal and child health outcomes and
costs. The Journal of Pediatrics, 181, 49-55.
Binns, C., Lee, M., & Low, W. Y. (2016). The long-term public health benefits of
breastfeeding. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 28(1), 7-14.
Breastfeeding Expert Work Group (2016). “Committee Opinion No. 658: optimizing support for
breastfeeding as part of obstetric practice”. American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists, & Committee on Obstetric Practice.  Obstetrics and gynecology, 127(2),
e86.
Oddy, W. H. (2017). Breastfeeding, childhood asthma, and allergic disease. Annals of Nutrition
and Metabolism, 70(Suppl. 2), 26-36.
Pac, J. E., Bartel, A. P., Ruhm, C. J., & Waldfogel, J. (2019). Paid family leave and
breastfeeding: Evidence from California (No. w25784). National Bureau of Economic
Research.
Rollins, N. C., Bhandari, N., Hajeebhoy, N., Horton, S., Lutter, C. K., Martines, J. C., … &
Group, T. L. B. S. (2016). Why invest, and what it will take to improve breastfeeding
practices?. The Lancet, 387(10017), 491-504.

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Victora, C. G., Bahl, R., Barros, A. J., França, G. V., Horton, S., Krasevec, J., … & Group, T. L.
B. S. (2016). Breastfeeding in the 21st century: epidemiology, mechanisms, and lifelong
effect. The Lancet, 387(10017), 475-490.