Research is clear that breastfeeding provides nutritional and health advantages that last far beyond infancy and offers health benefits for the mother as well. Claibourne Dungy, MD, pediatrician at University of Iowa Children's Hospital, says there are long-term health advantages for a baby to be breastfed.
“Some studies point to reduced risk for diabetes and certain types of childhood cancers,” he says. “There are other studies that indicate there may be decreased risk for asthma and certain allergies when compared to formula-fed infants. And we know that breastfed babies tend to be less obese than formula-fed babies.”
Human milk is the gold standard, and it contains anti-infective properties, immune properties that help protect the infant from infections and other problems during early life and benefits that carry through the rest of the life of the child. Dungy says the benefits of mother’s milk is the same whether the mom puts the baby to breast or pumps and offers the human milk in a bottle.
The health advantages for women who breastfeed can be divided into immediate and long-term. “We recommend that mothers put the baby to breast within the first hour or so of life. In doing so, the sucking stimulates a more rapid contraction of the uterus, there’s decreased post-partum bleeding, and moms tend to return to their pre-pregnancy weight a little sooner if they initiate breastfeeding. More long-term, there’s an indication of a decreased risk of certain types of breast and ovarian cancer.”
No special diet is necessary if a woman is breastfeeding. “I think they need to use moderation, of course, and not do extremes in diet. They need to have adequate calcium and vitamin and mineral intake, and have an adequate amount of liquid intake. We generally would suggest six to eight glasses of water per day. Women do not need to drink cow’s milk to produce adequate human milk, but they do need to stay well hydrated. A couple of signs that they can look for is if their urine is dark and concentrated, and if they’re constipated, that may indicate that they’re not getting enough liquid and they need to increase liquid in their diet.
“Caffeine does pass through the breast milk so breastfeeding mothers need to drink coffee or tea in moderation. Best, if you’re going to drink the coffee, tea, or alcohol, to do that after breastfeeding and then not breastfeed for at least two hours after you’ve used those substances.
“If you have any questions, the mother could pump and just discard that milk. But drinking a little in moderation, a glass of wine or beer, is not a contraindication to drinking. There’s an old wives’ tale that beer will increase milk supply, and that doesn’t really happen,” he says.
“If a breastfeeding mother is taking prescription medications, she really needs to talk to her physician because some medications are safe to take. Most antibiotics, for instance, are safe to take with breastfeeding, but other medicines are contraindicated and so you really need to check with both prescription and over the counter medicines before taking them if you’re breastfeeding.
“How long a woman breastfeeds her baby is entirely the mother’s decision,” says Dungy. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding without supplementation, that means without formula or solids, for the first six months of life and some breastfeeding through the first year of life.
There’s no one method to wean a baby that works for all women. For most, a gradual process of dropping one feeding a week works if you have time. Some mothers will just stop breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a combination of the mother and child and some children essentially wean themselves and aren’t as aggressive about breastfeeding. So it’s really the mother/infant combination for what works best for that particular mom. |
KXIC broadcasts are presented in mp3 format. The latest version of Windows Media Player, QuickTime Player, or Real Player is required to play them.
Listen to the radio broadcast
Claibourne Dungy, MD
University of Iowa Children's Hospital |
