Moms Who Breast-Feed Less Likely to Neglect
Child
2009-Jan-26
By
-- Robert Preidt
MONDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Mothers who breast-feed are
less likely to neglect their children, Australian researchers
report.
In their study, the scientists followed 7,223 Australian women
and their children for 15 years and found that the longer a mother
breast-fed her child, the lower the risk of neglect.
Mothers who breast-fed for less than four months were twice as
likely to neglect their children as those who breast-fed four
months or more. Women who didn't breast-feed were 3.8 times more
likely to neglect their children as mothers who breast-fed for at
least four months.
Even after they adjusted for other factors, such as
socioeconomic status, substance abuse and depression, the
researchers found a strong association between breast-feeding and
motherly care.
The findings were published in the February issue of
Pediatrics.
Previous research has suggested how breast-feeding may help form
a strong mother-infant bond, study senior author Dr. Lane
Strathearn, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College
of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, said in a Baylor news
release.
"Oxytocin is a critical hormone produced during breast-feeding
that promotes and reinforces maternal behavior. Animal studies have
shown that this hormone is critical for the initiation of maternal
behaviors in animals," Strathearn said. "It may be that
breast-feeding stimulates oxytocin production in the brain, helping
to develop the attachment relationship of the mother and her baby.
Or the factors that help shape the development of the oxytocin
system in the brain may predispose to successful breast-feeding and
nurturance of the baby."
"Promoting breast-feeding may be a simple and cost-effective way
to strengthen the mother-infant relationship. Providing the
economic and social support for new mothers to stay at home with
their babies may help accomplish this goal. The simple fact that
women have such limited maternity leave inhibits them from
strengthening this relationship," Strathearn said.
"Maternal neglect represents a fundamental breakdown in the
relationship between a mother and her child, as the mom fails to
provide the physical and emotional caregiving that an infant
requires for optimal development. Breast-feeding may be a natural
way to support the mother-infant relationship, reducing the risk of
neglect in the long term."
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development has more about
breast-feeding.
HealthDay News
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