Health and developmental benefits of breastfeeding for infants and mothers

Breastfeeding

The Importance of Breastfeeding

Newborn babies throughout the world need mother's milk to survive. Modern substitutes, like the ubiquitous formula used in many industrialized countries, provide an artificial alternative but there is no longer any doubt in the scientific community that breastfeeding is better. Mother's milk provides nutrients, antibodies, and a host of other benefits that improve the health and longevity of the new child. Likewise, new mothers will experience greater health and recovery from childbirth when they breastfeed their new babies. Breastfeeding is natural, affordable, and provides priceless benefits to both mother and child. This essay will first provide a summary of the ways in which breastfeeding benefits babies, and will then go on to summarize the ways that mothers also benefit. Finally, the conclusion will translate these benefits into some recommendations for new mothers.

Benefits of Breastfeeding: Babies

Better Nutrition

Mother's milk contains a mix of nutrients that have been proven to be the best match for infant needs (Lewis). Brain development and growth are likely to be maximized when babies are breastfed. Formula may substitute for some of these nutritional needs, but experts agree that only breastmilk contains the exact chemical mixture that babies require. Especially in the developing world, where formula is often not available or too expensive for most families, breastfeeding is by far the best source of nutrition for infants.

Maternal Bonding

While artificial formula may succeed at mimicking some of the benefits of nutrient delivery, most experts agree that only the act of breastfeeding can create the strong physical bond between mother & child. The baby learns to rely on its mother for nutrition, and from the earliest age associates its mothers face with a pleasurable experience. Primal satisfaction that is derived from nursing can have profound impacts on the short- and long-term relationship between child and mother. For example, babies that are breastfed may develop feelings of trust that are powerful even as they are pre-verbal. These feelings of attachment also benefit the mother. This is why many hospitals do not allow mothers who are giving up their babies for adoption to nurse their newborns; the attachment that forms makes it much more difficult for the mother to relinquish her child. For babies, an early trusting relationship with a mother that begins through the physical act of nursing will create the conditions for emotional health throughout life.

Less Obesity

Even at a young age, breast fed babies have a lower incidence of obesity than their formula fed cohorts. Researchers have also followed children as they grow, and the results are conclusive: children who had been breast-fed as babies have a substantially lower prevalence of obesity than those who hadn't (VonKries, 1999). Doctors note that the spiraling effects of obesity are profound. Obese children become obese adults, and those adults are then prone to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other health problems related to being extremely overweight. Thus, breastfed babies begin life with lower weight and this is a key factor in sending them into a trajectory of lower obesity rates and subsequently less disease as adults.

Benefits of Breastfeeding: Mothers

More Regulated Hormones

Right after birth, many new mothers struggle with an enlarged uterus, the effects of blood loss during delivery. Breastfeeding her baby releases a hormone in her body that helps the uterus contract and return to its previous size more quickly (Lewis). Those who choose not to breastfeed may experience extended enlargement of the uterus and subsequent discomfort. These prolonged recovery periods are also associated with post-partum depression, both as a result of uneven hormone levels and as a direct result of women feeling frustrated with slow physical changes to their already stressed bodies.

Faster Recovery

Conventional wisdom holds that women who breastfeed their babies return to pre-baby weight more quickly and experience a faster overall recovery from childbirth. Perhaps more interesting is the association between breastfeeding and rates of post-partum depression. Not only does breastfeeding itself indicate a reduced risk for depression, but maintaining breastfeeding for several months also has a significant effect on depression rates when compared with mothers who only breastfeed for a few weeks (USHSS).

Better Long-Term Health

Breastfeeding has been associated with a number of lowered risk factors for mother's health over the long-term. Especially when women breastfeed their children for longer -- in some cases, up to 2 years -- they show dramatic declines in ovarian and breast cancer rates (Lewis). Any history of breastfeeding is associated with a number of health benefits, including lower risk of type 2 diabetes (USHSS). Furthermore, as described above, women who breastfeed are likely to form a strong attachment and sense of trust with their infants. This early physical relationship may then develop into an important emotional bond that provides health benefits to both family members long past infancy.

Less Expensive

Compared with buying expensive formula, breastfeeding can save families hundreds and even thousands of dollars a year. Modern tools such as breast pumps and family-friendly workplaces make it possible for women to breastfeed their babies and still maintain a job. Research also suggests that the better health associated with breastfeeding -- for both mother and baby -- reduces overall health bills and saves the family, as well as insurance companies and the already stressed medical system, unnecessary doctor's visits.

Conclusion

Translating these results into recommendations for new mothers is straightforward. Without exception, women are encouraged to breastfeed their babies. In the developing world, this is generally accepted socially and the primary barriers stem from nutritional shortages. An underfed mother is unlikely to be able to support the nutritional needs of a breastfeeding infant. In the industrialized world, the challenges are different. In the United States, for example, breastfeeding remains culturally controversial in many social contexts. Women report feeling embarrassed about breastfeeding in public, and many struggle with competing demands on their time. Mothers who work full time soon after the birth of a baby, for example, may find it logistically challenging to nurse their babies. They may also struggle with the physical demands, especially if they have older children, work, or have other obligations that leave them physically stressed.

While breastfeeding in the developing world is widely practiced, many speculate that the high social acceptance of that practice is in part due to a shortage of alternatives. In industrialized countries, where more women work, and where formula is widely available, many point to ongoing social stigmas associated with breastfeeding. However, now that obesity has become such a critical public health issue, "preventing obesity and its consequences may be an important argument in the drive to encourage breast feeding in industrialized countries," (VonKries, 1999). Thus, the rise of concern over obesity may have a silver lining. As awareness grows over the danger and the prevalence of obesity, women are more likely to embrace strategies that will reduce the risk of this condition for their own children. Breastfeeding may therefore gain social acceptance.

Still, despite the overwhelming health benefits for both mothers and babies, scientific debate still exists over the optimal duration for breastfeeding. In developing countries, the issue is perhaps more complex: where breast milk is the best and most consistent form of nutrition available for babies, many women may be tempted to continue breastfeeding for years. However, as children grow they clearly need more nutrients than what can be provided in breast milk alone. Beyond four months of age, experts note that infants require more complex nutrients than breastfeeding delivers (Kramer, 2006). Breastfeeding at least until six months of age is strongly recommended by virtually every public health expert. Beyond that consensus, views differ with some recommending ongoing breastfeeding until early childhood.

Regardless of a mother's preference and circumstances, there is no doubt that breastfed babies thrive nutritionally and that those health benefits extend far beyond infancy. Similarly, mothers will recover from childbirth more quickly and with less lasting damage when they breastfeed their babies. The importance of breastfeeding is multi-dimensional.