Welcome to Breastfeed Benefits
Breastfeeding Education Article
Unsung Benefits of Breastfeeding
Philip J. Goscienski, M.D.
From the Stone Age until just a few generations ago, human infants’ only sustenance was mother’s milk, but modern infant formula seems to be an adequate substitute. After all, infant mortality in Western societies is at historic lows and growth patterns are normal. But is that all there is to it? Could there be other advantages to breastfeeding, both to the mother and to the infant?
Post-delivery stress discomfort. All those hours of labor may be natural, but they are exhausting and stressful for mom. It’s not so easy on baby, either! First, that cushion of fluid suddenly vanishes in a big gush as labor begins. Then comes the big squeeze as the infant is mashed against the opening of the uterus, and through a birth canal that is so narrow that the baby’s skull elongates just to fit through. It takes a day or so before a newborn’s head gets its normal rounded shape back.
Enter endorphins, morphine-like hormones that the body produces, and that relieve pain and stress. Beta endorphin appears in the early milk (colostrum) of mothers who deliver naturally, but there is much less in the breastmilk of mothers who undergo Caesarian section, and who bypass a stressful labor. Even higher levels appear in the colostrum of those mothers who deliver prematurely, and whose infants might have undergone even more stress before and during delivery. Nature thus helps to make the transition from the cozy, quiet womb to the outside world a little easier.
Baby’s suckling helps healing. After a successful delivery, the new mother feels the continued contractions of her uterus as it begins to return to normal size. That shrinking is critical in reducing blood loss after separation of the placenta. The baby that is put to the breast during the first hour or two gets nothing but a few drops of colostrum for its effort, but sucking on the empty breast increases the contraction of the now-empty uterus. That helps to limit the mother’s blood loss, and it could have been a critical factor in primitive humans.
A breast has to grow up. A woman that has never been pregnant may think that her normal-appearing breasts are fully mature, but from a biological point of view, they are not. The normal cycle of breast development begins with adolescent budding, but it does not end until the breast secretes at least some milk. During that interval, especially during the adolescent years, breast tissue is susceptible to toxic agents. That might explain two observations about breast cancer. First, women who smoke during their teen years have a greater risk of breast cancer than those that do not. Second, women who breastfeed are less likely to develop breast cancer, at least in their premenopausal years, as well as ovarian cancer.
Infant formula: how boring! The can of infant formula that Dad plucks off the supermarket shelf on the day of baby’s birth contains exactly the same ingredients as the formula that the infant will receive 2 weeks, 2 months or 12 months later (unless Dad switches brands). That’s not so for breastmilk. Colostrum contains antibodies and live cells that will protect the newborn from infection and help to develop its immune system. Day by day the mother will notice that her breastmilk becomes thinner and more bluish, until by 6 weeks it becomes consistently the same in appearance. Actually, the composition of breastmilk changes every single day until weaning occurs. That’s because the baby’s developing body, especially the brain, has different requirements every day. There are hundreds of components of breastmilk that vary according to the growing infant’s needs, in a sequence that was laid down by Nature hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Thanks, Mom. That was delicious! You won’t find mint-flavored infant formula at the local market, or any with a distinctive flavor. That would never get past the folks at Quality Control. But mother’s milk reflects mother’s diet. In years past, pediatricians advised breastfeeding mothers to avoid onions, garlic or spicy, highly flavored foods. That was the wrong advice, and I was guilty of it. Babies that are exposed to a variety of flavors that come through mothers’ milk take more readily to solid foods than formula-fed infants, for whom every food flavor is new and strange. Think of all the mealtime fussiness that would avoid!
And it will make you feel better. During the first year following delivery, mothers who breastfeed are only half as likely to suffer from depression as those who do not nurse their infants. That is not a minor issue, because approximately 10 percent of women become depressed within the first 6 weeks of delivery. This mental boost may be due to a hormone called oxytocin, which is released during nursing and also causes those contractions of the uterus that I mentioned earlier.
There were no feeding options back in the Stone Age, but the decision to not breastfeed may be unavoidable for some mothers. For those who are ambivalent, these benefits may provide a little incentive.
About The Author
Philip J. Goscienski, M.D. is a pediatric infectious diseases specialist with a 45-year career in clinical and academic medicine. Dr. Goscienski has written for the Saturday Evening Post and Currents, the national newsletter of the American Heart Association and is a featured writer for North San Diego County Magazine. He has drawn on his interests in biology, anthropology, paleopathology and physical fitness to develop Better Life Seminars, a series of presentations in which he explains how our most distant ancestors lived, and how we can apply this knowledge to extend our healthspan and avoid the major chronic diseases of our age. His book, Health Secrets of the Stone Age is based on his seminars, and on the most recent findings in medical and anthropological research. It is scheduled for a January 2005 release date. You can visit his web site at www.stoneagedoc.com.
Breastfeeding Education Best products
Modern Guide to Raising ChildrensBreastfeeding Education News
Family education classes hosted by Orange Regional - Times Herald-Record
Family education classes hosted by Orange Regional Times Herald-Record The classes are from 9:30 am-2:30 pm at the Community Health Education Center at 110 Crystal Run Road, Town of Wallkill. Prenatal Breastfeeding Class: This ... |
Parents and kids: March 10 - Wicked Local Plymouth
Parents and kids: March 10 Wicked Local Plymouth The Plymouth/South Shore chapter of the Holistic Moms Network holds monthly meetings on a variety of topics including organic food, breastfeeding, ... Out and About: March 10 - 21 |
Seeking Shelter From the Coming Tax Storm - Wall Street Journal
Seeking Shelter From the Coming Tax Storm Wall Street Journal There is a negative effect of breastfeeding on women's employment status, says Phyllis Rippeyoung, assistant professor of sociology at Acadia University and ... |
Young mothers to get extra support from family nurses - Scotsman
 BBC News | Young mothers to get extra support from family nurses Scotsman They will offer guidance on child development, preventative health measures, parenting skills, breastfeeding and diet, and give mothers advice on education ... Scotland Tackles Young Motherhood With US Influenced Health Program New York nurse scheme inspires £1.6m project to help young Scottish mothers |
Lincoln plans to increase nutrition spending - AG Week
Lincoln plans to increase nutrition spending AG Week Kiran Saluja, testifying on behalf of the National WIC Association, said the best way to confront childhood obesity is to encourage breastfeeding and said ... |
Breastfeeding good for moms too - Health24.com
Breastfeeding good for moms too Health24.com ... and 84% of them had a high school education or more. When divided into groups, 29% of the women had never breast-fed, 29% breastfed inconsistently (less ... |