The Many Benefits Of Breast Feeding

By Jan Howard

Babies and mothers can reap physical and psychological advantages from breastfeeding.

Robin Sampson, leader of the La Leche League of Newtown, said one of the health advantages for babies is that they receive immunities from certain diseases from their mothers.

“They are finding a correlation between nursing and protection against diseases,” Ms Sampson said. There are also long-term health benefits, she added. Breast-fed babies are less likely to develop certain diseases as adults.

Ms Sampson has been a La Leche League group leader since 1991. She attended her first La Leche League meeting when her daughter, Sarah, now 16, was four weeks old. She has two other children, Erica, 12, and Colin, 6.

Human milk is all a baby needs to grow and thrive, Ms Sampson said. “The milk is specific to the needs of the baby. The milk for pre-mature babies is different from that for full-term babies. This is fairly new information. They keep finding more things about breast milk.

“Formulas do not contain all the nutrients that breast milk has,” Ms Sampson said. “Milk for a full-term baby has the right balance of what the baby needs.”

During breastfeeding, Ms Sampson said, “The milk at the beginning, foremilk, is different from what is at the end. It has more water and proteins. The hind milk has more fat in it. Sometimes when it’s hot a baby might not nurse as long. The baby needs the hind milk as much. It is important to nurse as long as you can.

Mother’s milk is more easily digested than infant formulas made from cow’s milk or soy products, according to La Leche League. The protein in cow’s milk can cause allergies, especially in very young infants. The protein in human milk contains all the amino acids in the right proportions necessary for development of the baby’s brain and nervous system.

Breastfed babies are statistically less likely to become ill with gastrointestinal infections and diarrhea and are also less likely to contract respiratory and ear infections and more serious diseases, such as pneumonia and meningitis. Studies show that when breastfeeding babies did contract respiratory infections, they tended to be less severe.

Breastfeeding has been found to slow development of celiac disease, a digestive disorder, and to offer protection from Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in adulthood. Individuals who were breastfed are also less likely to develop insulin-dependent diabetes.

Those who were breastfed six months or more have been found to be six times less likely to develop lymphomas, a type of childhood cancer. Breastfeeding also delays development of dermatitis, a chronic skin inflammation, especially in children with family histories of allergy.

Preliminary research has also linked breastfeeding to the prevention or modification of certain chronic liver diseases.

Nursing is also beneficial for babies’ oral and facial development. “The breastfed baby uses its mouth and tongue differently from bottle fed babies. It helps in jaw and teeth development,” Ms Sampson said.

There are also emotional benefits to breastfeeding, she said. “The bonding between mother and baby is one of the more important benefits. The mother learns about how to read her baby’s cues, more so than mothers who are bottle-feeding.

Breastfeeding brings about the closeness that is important for the baby’s emotional development, Ms Sampson said. Most breastfed babies cry less because they are held more, according to La Leche.

Oxytocin and prolactin, hormones released in the mother’s body during breastfeeding, help with bonding and nurturing, Ms Sampson said. Oxytocin regulates milk release and is associated with feelings of warmth and love. Prolactin, the hormone responsible for making milk, produces feelings of calm and helps a mother relax. “It’s called the mothering hormone,” she noted.

In addition to health benefits for the baby, there are also benefits to the nursing mother. “When the baby is nursing, a hormone is released that helps the uterus go back to its normal shape,” she said. The baby’s sucking can also help to prevent hemorrhage immediately after birth.

 “It can help with weight loss. Some mothers find it easier to get back to their pre-pregnancy weight,” Ms Sampson said.

Mothers who breastfeed are less likely to develop breast cancer, based on the length of nursing, she noted. “The more children a mother breastfed, the more benefits.”

Breastfeeding also protects against ovarian cancer and urinary tract infections. Some studies indicate it may prevent osteoporosis.

La Leche League is an international, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization. It is dedicated to providing education, information, support, and encouragement to women who want to breastfeed and to promoting a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.

There are 34 La Leche League groups in Connecticut. About ten members attend the Newtown group’s meetings, Ms Sampson said. They are held usually on the third Tuesday of the month, from 9:45 to 11 am in a member’s home, and feature open-ended discussions about breastfeeding and related aspects of childcare. The topic for July 11 was “Developing a Parenting Style That Feels Right.” Toddler meetings are now being held monthly to share ideas.

“It’s nice when moms come to meetings before they have the baby to be aware of what to expect,” Ms Sampson said. “It gets you with other mothers and babies and [you can] see how they interact.”

 For information or directions to the meeting location, Ms Sampson can be reached by phone at 203/426-6242 and by e-mail at BakerRobn@aol.com.