By Bahamas National Breastfeeding Association, For the Guardian

Breastfeeding is a well researched product and is still being researched. Many studies, for example, make comparisons between the artificially fed infant and the breastfed infant. Gastroenteritis and pneumonia are among the illnesses that occur in infants who are artificially fed.

The adverse impact of illnesses that occur in infants tends to have a life time effect. Formula is an inferior substitute for human milk. Studies show that both pre and post menopausal breast cancer are 25 percent less common among the population of adult women who were breastfed infants. When researchers carry out epidemiological studies, looking at different feeding methods, it was shown that there were higher disease rates among the population that was fed substitutes for human milk. Parents are therefore encouraged to invest some of their time and energy in breastfeeding and take some steps before their children are born to increase the chances of breastfeeding success.

Learn the art of breastfeeding

Some mothers who have grown up around breastfeeding women may find breastfeeding easy and therefore have no need for help.

Others who have associated with the bottle feeding culture may find it difficult to see a baby without a bottle, and therefore will have to learn the art.

Do not mistakenly believe that breastfeeding is instinctive and there is no need to learn more about it. It will be more challenging to accept proper assistance that will get you started in the right direction, as opposed to knowing when you know you need to be trained and equipped with the necessary knowledge for good breastfeeding practice.

Because breastfeeding is a learned art that has been lost to the majority of mothers in a bottle feeding culture, all mothers should be prepared to deal with some breastfeeding problems. This does not mean obsessing over every horror story that you hear, but it does mean being aware that problems can arise, and learning how to find help if they do.