Benefits of Breast-Feeding
Science has proved that breast-fed babies have a healthier start in life. Human milk contains a balance of nutrients that closely matches infant requirements for brain development, growth and a healthy immune system. Human milk also contains immunologic agents and other compounds that act against viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Since an infant's immune system is not fully developed until age 2, human milk provides a distinct advantage over formula.
Because breast milk provides protection against germs that a baby or mother may carry, studies in infant feeding have found lower rates of several chronic childhood diseases, including respiratory infections and ear infections, as well as symptoms such as diarrhea, among children who were breast-fed.
Research also suggests that breast-fed infants gain less weight and tend to be leaner at 1 year of age than formula-fed infants. This early indicator may influence later growth patterns, resulting in fewer overweight and obese children.
But infants aren't the only ones who benefit from breast-feeding. Mothers, too, are the recipients of many positive hormonal and physical effects. Breast-feeding releases a hormone in a woman's body that causes her uterus to return to its normal size and shape more quickly and reduces blood loss after delivery. In addition, according to the Blueprint, studies have shown that breast-feeding for longer periods of time (up to 2 years) and among younger mothers may reduce the risk of premenopausal and possibly postmenopausal breast cancer. Also, the risk of ovarian cancer may be lower among women who have breast-fed their children.
Haynes says intriguing new developments indicate that breast milk may even have another role in the battle against cancer. In particular, breast-feeding may reduce the risk of childhood cancer.
Researchers have identified a protein in human milk--human alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumors (HAMLET)--that induces apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in which cells, responding to environmental signals, self-destruct. Apoptosis, a relatively new study in biology, is the natural mechanism the body uses to recycle material that is not needed for functioning. When apoptosis is initiated, the cell's genetic material becomes shredded so that the cell cannot replicate itself. With cancer cells, apoptosis is inhibited, allowing rapid growth of dysfunctional cells. Haynes says that the isolation of HAMLET as a trigger for apoptosis in cancer cells could give further weight to evidence linking breast milk to reduced incidences of some cancers.
From a budget standpoint, breast-feeding can save a family hundreds of dollars a year, even with the added cost of breast pumps, devices regulated by the Food and Drug Administration that allow mothers to express milk when they are away from their babies or when they want to save extra milk to be given to the baby at other times. According to the Blueprint, breast-feeding also saves money for insurers and employers by cutting down on doctor visits and sick days.
Overcoming Obstacles
Why, then, with all these benefits, don't more mothers breast-feed?
Breast-feeding requires a substantial commitment from a mother. Some mothers feel tied down by the constant demands of a nursing newborn. Others feel embarrassed or concerned about breast-feeding, especially in public places.
"That's just the type of image we're trying to change," says Haynes. "We're trying to normalize breast-feeding so that people won't blink an eye when they see it." Haynes says removing these kinds of barriers is a major challenge of the campaign.
But she also emphasizes that breast-feeding is not the end of a woman's independence. Women can use pumps to express milk when they are going to be away from their babies so that others can bottle feed them, allowing mothers to keep up their milk supply. She adds that women can return to full-time work with careful planning and a discussion with employers about a private and sanitary area to express milk.
Carol Huotari manages the Center for Breastfeeding Information at the Schaumburg, Ill., headquarters of La Leche League, an international breast-feeding support and educational organization. She says, "It's not uncommon for mothers to face difficulties." While the ability to breast-feed is not necessarily inherent in a mother, Huotari says with the proper information and support, the experience of breast-feeding is more often than not successful, and when it is successful it can be profoundly fulfilling. "It's more than just the benefits to the baby--it's about the benefits to the mother, too." While obstacles can sometimes hinder success, Huotari says that most can be overcome.
Because diabetes and allergies run prevalent on both sides of Amy Finnerty's family, the 29-year-old Huntley, Ill., resident especially wanted to breast-feed her baby. But obstacles, like her baby's inability to latch on to her breast properly as the result of a stressful birth experience and the temporary pain she experienced early on, nearly convinced Finnerty that, for her, breast-feeding just wasn't meant to be.
"I remember thinking, 'I'm not going to be a good mom,'" she says. "I didn't think I could take the pain anymore." But the support she received both from the local La Leche League group and her husband clinched it for Finnerty. "Meeting with women who shared my common interest of breast-feeding certainly helped bolster my commitment to nursing," she says. "And Bill would encourage me each time to get through one more feeding, even though I was feeding several times a day. Eventually he was right. I stayed with it and it just clicked." Finnerty is today happily and successfully nursing her daughter, Veronica.
Huotari says that professional and family support can influence a mother's breast-feeding choice and practices. "It's important to begin sharing positive information on breast-feeding to both boys and girls in school," she says. And health care providers can promote breast-feeding during pregnancy check-ups. "We know that decisions made to breast-feed are often made well before the baby arrives, yet some others do decide that they will breast-feed when their newborn is in their arms for the first time."
Even the childbirth experience can make a great impact on the way breast-feeding begins and continues, says Huotari. "Amy did a lot of preparation for birth beforehand," she says, "and despite the fact that Veronica's birth didn't go the way she planned, Amy is now a well-established breast-feeding mom."
The La Leche League has chapter meetings throughout the country where expectant and new mothers can learn about breast-feeding, nutrition, and other aspects of child care. (See "For More Information" for the number to call for local chapters.)
Cautions About Breast-Feeding
Despite the benefits, not every mother is able to breast-feed or chooses to do so. In rare cases, a mother's health may prevent her from breast-feeding. Women who test positive for HIV and AIDS or who have human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) should not breast-feed or provide their breast milk for the nutrition of their own or other infants because of the risk of transmission to the child.
Under certain conditions, a case-by-case assessment should be made about whether or not breast-feeding is advisable or should be temporarily stopped. According to the Blueprint, some of these conditions include:
- Exposures to environmental chemicals, such as DDT, dioxin, and methyl mercury
- Hepatitis C
- Illicit drug use, such as amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana
- Implants and breast surgery
- Metabolic disorders such as galactosemia, a condition in which the infant cannot metabolize lactose, a sugar found in all mammalian milk
- Tobacco and alcohol use, since alcohol and nicotine are present in breast milk. However, for women who cannot or will not stop smoking, breast-feeding is still advised, since the benefits of breast milk outweigh the risks from nicotine exposure
- Use of drugs such as cyclosporin, doxorubicin, ergotamine, methotrexate, and radioactive isotopes, as well as anti-anxiety, anti-depressant, and anti-psychotic agents. For most prescribed and over-the-counter medications taken by women, the risk to the nursing infant is unknown.
- Mothers should always ask their physicians before continuing or taking new medications while nursing.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) first issued a statement on the transfer of drugs and chemicals into human milk in 1983, revising its lists in 1989 and 1994. Information continues to become available. The current statement, which can be found on the AAP's Web site (www.aap.org/policy/0063.html), is intended to assist physicians in counseling a nursing mother regarding breast-feeding when the mother has a condition for which a drug is medically indicated.
Susan F. Wood, Ph.D., director of the FDA's Office of Women's Health (OWH) says, "The FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and the OWH are working to improve the current label on products so that it is more helpful to both mothers and prescribing physicians. However, more research is needed in order for good information to show up in the label, and FDA is also working to encourage such research."
Infant Formulas
For women who are unable to breast-feed, the FDA recommends using only commercially prepared formulas as an alternative to breast milk. These formulas contain the complex combination of proteins, sugars, fats, minerals, and vitamins needed to support growth in infants. The composition of commercial formulas is carefully controlled, and the FDA requires that these products meet very strict standards.
The safety of commercially prepared formula is ensured by the agency's nutrient requirements and by strict manufacturing quality control procedures. These procedures require manufacturers to analyze each batch of formula for required nutrients, test samples for stability during the shelf life of the product, code containers to identify the batch, and make all records available to FDA investigators.
But, while formulas try to imitate the ingredients in human milk, the exact composition of breast milk cannot be duplicated. Human milk contains living cells, hormones, active enzymes, and immunoglobulins that cannot be replicated in infant formula. It also has carbohydrates, easily digestible proteins, and fat, plus antibodies that can protect the baby from infection. Therefore, performance of infant formulas is measured by the infant's growth, absorption of nutrients, and gastrointestinal tolerance.
About this Article:
Provided by the FDA
Related Articles
Full Article List
Save to del.icio.us
