Another advantage of breastfeeding : Protection from neglect

Queensland, Australia, January 26: Breast-fed child is more resistant to disease and infection early as compared with formula-fed babies. Now a study has found that breastfeeding mothers were also less likely to neglect their children as compared to formula fed mothers.

Dr Lane Strathearn, past medical student of the University of Queensland, Australia, and presently Assistant Professor of Pediatrics’ at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, and a Research Fellow in BCM's Human Neuroimaging Laboratory, said, "Mothers who didn't breastfeed were almost four times more likely to be reported for maternal neglect than mothers who breastfed for four of more months."

"For mothers who breastfed for less than four months, the risk was about 2.3 times," he added.

By linking the information from Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy, researchers looked at 6,621 children in Australia over 15 years of age. They found that breastfed infants were less likely to be abused or neglected, whereas babies who were bottle-fed were almost thrice as likely to be neglected by their mothers as those who were nursed for 4 months or more.

However, there was no relationship between nursing and the risk of abuse by fathers or others.

During the first few days after baby is born, breasts produce colostrumdefine, a substance, which contains important ingredients including immunoglobulin or cells, which aid in building up your babies immune systemdefine and oxytocindefine, which may fortify the emotional and physical bond created between parents and children during breastfeeding.

Dr. Strathearn adds that from past studies we know that oxytocin has a powerful effect on the brain, making people less anxious and stressed but calmer, trusting and connected.

Adding further he said, “Breastfeeding may simply promote that interpersonal bond between a mother and her baby - the physical touch, the holding, the eye-to-eye contact.”

“It ensures that physical touch occurs in an attuned way, but I would imagine a similar result for any mother who has that same one-on-one contact while they're feeding on a regular basis”.

Study author said that there are several factors, which may contribute to child neglect. And, in order to find if breastfeeding itself is the contributing factor, he looked at minute details such as the maternal age, race, marital status, qualification, working or non working and smoking and drinking habits of the mothers.

Dr. Strathearn also looked at whether mothers were anxious or depressed, their attitudes toward pregnancy and their babies, and how much they played with or talked to their children. He found that of all above factors breastfeeding remained the strongest predictor of neglect.

The findings will appear in the February 09 issue of medical journal Pediatrics.

A past study found that preemies, especially girls get more benefit from breast milk as compared to the boys in avoiding the development of serious respiratory infections.

Various studies show that mothers who breastfeed their babies have fewer episodes of post-delivery depressiondefine, they lose weight easily, and it enables her uterusdefine to contract and get back in its normal size and position after having been stretched during pregnancy.

The incidence of breast cancerdefine, ovaries, anemia and osteoporosis are less in nursing women.