Psychological Nutrition
by Kate Kahn - 08th April 2008
I heard an interesting piece on NPR the other day. It was an interview with a pediatrician named Dr. Sydney Spiesel. He's a pediatrician who is also a professor at Yale Medical School, a regular contributor to NPR, and to the online magazine, Slate. So I figure, given all that, he's probably pretty well-respected in his field. The interviewer was asking him about breastfeeding versus formula feeding. He spoke about how, for his whole career, he had recommended breastfeeding but how he now believed there were viable healthy alternatives.
Dr. Spiesel was asked about studies that showed that breastfeeding fostered closer bonding between mother and baby. He replied that yes, the studies are out there but there are so many mitigating factors that may influence bonding. He also said there are other studies showing the bonding difference to be insignificant and the same goes for behavioral issues ( there is no correlation between bottle feeding and behavioral issues later on).
But the thing I found truly interesting was something he mentioned about the mother's state of mind. He spoke about the need for Psychological Nutrition. What exactly does that mean? Well, it has to do with a mother's decision as to how she feeds her child. Specifically, she has to choose a method that puts her in a good psychological state because, he said, the psychological benefits of having the mother enjoy the feeding are as important as the medical benefits (Physical Nutrition).
Psychological Nutrition. I think often people forget about that and they are quick to judge others who don't choose to breastfeed. The decision on how to feed one's child is intensely personal and based on several factors specific to a mother's and her family's own situation.
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