Topic 1 DQ 2
Topic 1 DQ 2
Please write a paragraph with your opinion based on the text bellow. Please include citations and references in case you need to used for the question.
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Nurses are with patients more than any other medical team member and are supposed to advocate for their patients. Sometimes ethical principles arise like autonomy, but nurses are always required to respect the patient’s wishes, even if they don’t agree with them. When helping patients, nurses must remember that patients come from various ethnic groups, cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs. Therefore, nurses are to only supply the patients with the facts and allow them to make their decisions with what the patient believes is best for themselves or their family member. Having said that, I believe that breastfeeding for the infants during the first year is the best nutritious food that promotes normal infant growth and development and natural immunity.
If a mother is reluctant to breastfeed her infant, I would go over the advantages and nutritious benefits to having the baby breastfeed and also discuss alternative food options for the baby. Again, as nurses we must remember that patients have different beliefs, cultures, etc., that we must respect and allow the patients to make their own medical decisions.
According to our class textbook, Physical Examination and Health Assessment, there are four advantages to breastfeeding an infant that I would discuss with the mother of the infant. I would discuss and provide written information on these four benefits to breastfeeding:
1. Fewer food allergies and intolerances.
2. It reduces the likelihood of overeating.
3. Less cost than infant commercial formulas. No money is spent on formulas.
4. It increases mother-infant interaction time. Breastfeeding creates that close interacting between the mother and the infant.
In addition, I would also discuss with the mother other benefits to breastfeeding that include:
1. Human milk helps protect your baby from illnesses such as obesity, ear infections, leukemia, diarrhea, vomiting, SIDS, type II diabetes, and asthma (Office of Women’s Health).
2. It may help lower your risk for breast and ovarian cancers (USDA).
In fairness, I would also let the mother know of some challenges that may come with breastfeeding from personal experience when my daughters breastfeed with their mother. They include sore nipples, over or under supply of milk, engorgement, or breast infections.
There are times when a mother may choose not to breastfeed. I would offer alternatives and benefits for the mother that include:
1. Using milk from donor banks. This is still human milk and can provide the same benefit to the infant as if they were breastfed.
2. There are infant formulas that provide nutritious alternatives to human milk that have vitamins and nutrients (Kids Health).
3. Bottled formulas can be more convenient because either parent can feed the infant (Kids Health).
4. More flexibility for the mother because she can make a bottle and leave and allow someone else to feed the infant (Kids Health).
However, I would also advise the mother that no manufactured formula provides antibodies like human milk does. I believe that by providing the pro, cons, and facts to breastfeeding and other alternatives allows the mother to make a fair and balanced decision to feeding her baby.
References
Jarvis, Carolyn, (2016). Physical Examination and Health Assessment. 7th Edition. St.
Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Kids Health from Nemours. Breastfeeding vs Formula Feeding. Retrieved from:
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/breast-bottle-feeding.ht
Office of Women’s Health. Making the decision to Breastfeed. Retrieved from:
https://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/making-decision-breastfeed
United States Department of Agriculture. Tips for Breastfeeding Mom. Retrieved from:
https://wicworks.fns.usda.gov/wicworks//Topics/BreastfeedingFactSheet.pdf
