lalecheleague.org
eatright.org
"Thus, a true paradigm shift is needed... to make meaningful progress toward substantially longer breast-feeding for the majority of US infants.
************************************************************
The new paradigm will need to include more than statements from agencies, institutions, and individuals that breast-feeding is to be encouraged, with the unspoken message that human milk substitutes represent an acceptable alternative. Rather, it must entail a true expectation, which is reflected in health care and sociocultural practices, that breast-feeding an infant for at least 6 months, and preferably longer, is not only optimal but is the norm, and that use of human milk substitutes should be reserved only for a minority of infants and with specific indications.
RATIONALE: BENEFITS OF BREAST-FEEDING
The advantages of extended breast-feeding are indeed indisputable and include nutritional, immunological, and
psychological benefits to both infant and mother, as well as economic benefits. Breast-feeding education efforts and
clinical management must highlight the importance of nursing for a longer duration to fully achieve the potential
benefits for both mother and infant.
*Psychological Benefits*
That there are psychological benefits of breast-feeding for both the mother and the infant is generally assumed but has been particularly difficult to characterize and quantify. Studies relating to psychological benefits of breast-feeding have been criticized for methodological flaws such as evaluation tool limitations and a narrow focus on developmental outcomes, which exclude the processes underlying development (21). Acknowledging the challenges of such investigations, several reports have linked breast-feeding, and especially duration of breast-feeding, with cognitive and emotional psychological benefits. Mothers with early infant contact breast-fed longer (22,23) and showed more attachment behavior than women without early contact (24) and infants who were not breast-fed. The unique composition of human milk, such as the fatty acid composition discussed later, almost certainly plays an important role in neuropsychological development. Low-birth-weight infants fed mother's milk scored better on developmental tests at age 18 months and intelligence tests at age 7 or 8 years than infants who received human milk substitutes (25). Similarly, significant increases in cognitive development test scores were identified in school-aged children (26). More importantly, the increases in cognitive development were related to the duration of breast-feeding during infancy." |
