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Essay on Physiology Benefit of Breast Feeding to the Mother
Family physicians need to be familiar with the evidence supporting the recommendation to breastfeed. Evidence about breastfeeding's health effects is growing exponentially, and it is beyond the scope of this paper to specifically review all of the literature. Several excellent review articles outline the evidence supporting the role of breastfeeding in optimal health outcomes for mothers and children because breastfeeding is the physiologic norm, we will refer to the risks of not breastfeeding for infants, children, and mothers (Kennedy, Rivera, McNeilly, 477-496).
Evidence shows that breastfeeding has profound effects on the developing immune system. Babies not fed human milk have higher rates of otitis media, allergies, respiratory tract infection, necrotizing enterocolitis, urinary tract infection, and gastroenteritis in infancy. Babies who are not breastfed have a higher risk of hospitalization in the first year of life due to serious bacterial illness. They have higher rates of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, allergic disease and asthma, lymphomas, and inflammatory bowel disease later in life. They develop lower antibody titers in response to immunization. Studies of intelligence and development have also shown lower IQ and lower developmental scores among children who were not breastfed .
The strongest evidence indicates that these positive effects of breastfeeding are most significant with six months of exclusive breastfeeding. Most of the studies, however, show that the effects are dose-related, with improved outcomes being associated with more longer breastfeeding. Similarly, the risks increase as the period of exclusive breastfeeding decreases, with the highest risk in babies who received fed no human milk (Kennedy, Rivera, McNeilly, 477-496).
Maternal health outcomes are also affected by breastfeeding. Mothers who do not breastfeed risk higher rates of anemia and closer child spacing. Women who have a significant lifetime history of breastfeeding have lower rates of ovarian, endometrial, and breast cancer compared with the general population. Lactation affects calcium metabolism, with increased bone density after weaning, and may decrease a woman's risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis......
