BREASTFEEDING

By Miriam Hernando and Harvey Lee

An expectant mother faces many decisions. One of the most important is how the baby will be fed. Compelling evidence suggests that breastfeeding in the first year of life greatly enhances babies’ well-being. The advantages to the baby are not only immunologic, but also include nutritional, health, developmental, and psychosocial benefits.

Immunologic benefits result from the many different components working to protect the breast-fed infant. The protective factor most widely known is antibodies. But according to Dr. Jack Newman, co-author with Teresa Pitman of The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers, breast milk contains a whole immune system (Prima Publishing, 2000). The presence of lysozyme, lactoferrin, B12 binding protein, bifidus factor, and oligosaccharides play a role in stopping bacterial growth that can cause disease and illness. “Breast-fed babies are protected, in varying degrees, from a number of illnesses, including pneumonia, botulism, bronchitis, staphylococcal infections, influenza, ear infections, and German measles,” writes Rebecca Williams in “Breast-Feeding Best Bet for Babies” (available at www.fda.gov/fdac/features/895_brstfeed.html).

A policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics connects breastfeeding with enhanced cognitive development (“Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk,” available at www.aap.org/policy/re9729.html). Research findings show that breast-fed infants on the average score higher on intelligence and development tests. Possible explanations include both nutrients and bonding interactions between mother and infant during breastfeeding. “Breastmilk contains all the nutrients a baby’s brain needs to reach its maximum potential,” writes Newman (5).

For more information on breastfeeding, visit the La Leche League website at
www.lalecheleague.org and the ProMoM, Inc. website at www.promom.org. Through breastfeeding, new mothers can give their babies a gift that lasts a lifetime.