The key benefits of breastfeeding come in a multitude of health benefits for a child. It is stated that breastfed children experience fewer “childhood illnesses, acute otitis media, severe lower respiratory tract infections, asthma, constipation, gastrointestinal infection, and eczema” (Pattison et al., 2019, p. 1). However, the disadvantage is that not all mothers have the ability to breastfeed due to physical constraints or other responsibilities, such as occupation or work.
Bottle-feeding with breastmilk is highly beneficial since breastmilk’s advantages are retained without anchoring the mother to the child, which offers a higher degree of flexibility. A study suggests that there is “a protective effect of breastfeeding from childhood overweight/obesity, as children who received breastmilk for 6 months or longer had lower odds of overweight/obesity at age 3 years” (Pattison et al., 2019, p. 1). The major drawback of bottle feeding with breastmilk is the need to use a breast pump, and not every mother is capable of producing a sufficient amount of milk for future storage. The advantage of bottle-feeding with formula is convenience, and the amount given to a child can always be sufficient, but it lacks key health benefits.
Reference
Pattison, K. L., Kraschnewski, J. L., Lehman, E., Savage, J. S., Downs, D. S., Leonard, K. S., Adams, E. L., Paul, I. M., & Kjerulff, K. H. (2019). Breastfeeding initiation and duration and child health outcomes in the first baby study. Preventive Medicine, 118, 1–6. Web.