New Reasons to Nurse
Written by Janis Graham   
Sunday, 23 October 2005


Almost immediately after your baby's birth, you'll make an important decision; whether or not to breastfeed. Or maybe you're among the 50 percent of women who decide even before pregnancy that they'll give nursing a try. If you've already made up your mind to nurse, you'll receive plenty of moral support; the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Dietetic Association and most other health organizations recommend that all fullterm infants to breastfed when possible.

The benefits are many. Mother's milk is free and ecologically correct. It can't sour, cannot be overheated, mixed improperly or contaminated by poor sanitation. It contains the precise amount of protein, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients a baby needs to thrive. Breastfeeding nourishes the baby's sense of touch, taste and smell and is also good of the mom: It helps her uterus contract to its prepregnancy size, makes night feedings a snap and provides the sense that she's giving her baby the best possible start in life.

There are reasons women plan not to breastfeed, of course. Mothers on certain medications can't because the drugs may harm the baby. Others worry that their breast implants might expose their babies to harmful silicone (although a 1994 study published in the Journal of the American Medical

Association noted that it's still unclear whether silicone or other by-products released by implants pose enough risk to outweigh the benefits to breast milk). Second-time moms who ran into problems nursing the first time around may be too discouraged to try again.

A busy life, time consuming work, a long commute, initial embarrassment about nursing in public, a desire to exercise and temporary discomforts (especially in the early weeks) also can be discouraging but none of these reasons need stop breast pumps and a support system that includes family, husband, sister, friends and /or coworkers will help. Even exercise doesn't interfere, as long as you rest and ear well.

But what if you're straddling the fence-not quite sure if you want to nurse? Well, formula is certainly a safe and adequate stand-in; in fact, you may be one of the millions of healthy people who took it in infancy. Still, mother's milk is indisputably the superior food-and it provides a surprising array of health benefits, some of which are only now being explored.

Protection From Infection
Breastfeeding exclusively for four or more months may significantly reduce a baby's risk of ear infection, a common and painful early childhood illness. Experts aren't sure which ingredients provides the protection; they do know that breast milk contains a host of infection fighters. It seems to help prevent infant diarrhea, and there's preliminary evidence that a carbohydrate abundant in breastmilk may inhibit the growth of bacteria that cause urinary tract infections.

Breastfeeding exclusively for four or more months may significantly reduce a baby's risk of ear infection, a common and painful early childhood illness. Experts aren't sure which ingredients provides the protection; they do know that breast milk contains a host of infection fighters. It seems to help prevent infant diarrhea, and there's preliminary evidence that a carbohydrate abundant in breastmilk may inhibit the growth of bacteria that cause urinary tract infections.

"Smart" Milk?

Claims that nursing increases a baby's intelligence inspires heated debate, and two recent studies have upped the temperature of the argument. One found that between ages 7 1/2 and 8, children who as premature infants had been fed breast milk scored significantly higher on intelligence tests than children (also born prematurely) who were fed formula. Because all were fed by tube, researchers could separate the influence of the milk from the bonding process of nursing. In another study, researchers, following 855 children from birth to school age, found that the children who were breastfed scored slightly better in verbal and reasoning abilities than those who weren't.

The advantages found are subtle and the studies themselves aren't definitive, says children nutrition expert Judy Hopkinson, Ph.D., of Children Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. But they do remind us "to keep an open mind. There might be differences in the long-term progress of children who are breastfed versus those who aren't."

Straighter Teeth
A bay's early swallowing, sucking and tongue-thrusting habits appear to influence mouth, tooth jaw development. A review of dental histories of almost 10,000 children found that those who'd been breastfed for four months or or longer had a 44 percent lower incidence of crooked teeth those who were bottle-fed or nursed for a shorter time.

A bay's early swallowing, sucking and tongue-thrusting habits appear to influence mouth, tooth jaw development. A review of dental histories of almost 10,000 children found that those who'd been breastfed for four months or or longer had a 44 percent lower incidence of crooked teeth those who were bottle-fed or nursed for a shorter time.

Long-term Benefits
Patients with the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis were almost 20 percent less likely than disease-free people to have been breastfed for a long period, says a recent study. Other research suggests that women who were breastfed as babies may have an almost 30 percent lower risk of breast cancer, and that breastfeeding may impart lower risk for type I (juvenile) diabetes, lymphoma (a cancer of the lymph system) and Crohn's disease (a type of inflammatory bowed disease).

Patients with the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis were almost 20 percent less likely than disease-free people to have been breastfed for a long period, says a recent study. Other research suggests that women who were breastfed as babies may have an almost 30 percent lower risk of breast cancer, and that breastfeeding may impart lower risk for type I (juvenile) diabetes, lymphoma (a cancer of the lymph system) and Crohn's disease (a type of inflammatory bowed disease).

No one knows why mother's milk seems to confer this protection. It may be that breast milk enhances immune system development or that early exposure to certain elements in cow's milk, the basis for most formulas, plants a "trigger" for autoimmune malfunction later in life. To be on the safe side, the AAP encourages families with a history of type I diabetes to breastfeed exclusively during the first year of life.

Benefits for Moms, TOO

Nursing appears to reduce mothers' risk of getting breast cancer before menopause by about 22 percent, according to a recent study. Other evidence suggests that the longer women nurse and the younger they begin, the lover their risk of breast cancer. Nursing also may protect against osteoporosis and hip fracture in later life. In three studies of bone mass in elderly women, those who had breastfed had higher bone-mineral densities than those who hadn't. As a more immediate benefit, nursing may promote postpartum weight loss.

There's no doubt that breastfeeding offers health advantage to Baby and Mom, but the best aspect of breastfeeding may never be studied: How could science measure the peace and contentment a woman feels while nursing her warm, soft and sweet smelling baby?