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Benefits of Breastfeeding
Benefits of Breastfeeding
Omar Amireh, Robert Demofonte, Kirsten Hurd, Steven Lukac, Courtney Michaels
Abstract
Through extensive research, substantial evidence has been found to support our proclamation
that breastfeeding provides a greater amount of nutrients as opposed to the use of artificial
formula. We discovered that breastfeeding is not only beneficial for the baby, but the mother as
well. It was clear that natural breastmilk not only served as the best source of nutrients, but that
breastfeeding supports earlier cognitive development, shows a positive outcome for the mother
and reveals health benefits during infancy as well as after. Also, we discovered that financially,
breastfeeding is one way to save money and if one were unable to physically express breastmilk,
the mother has different opportunities and alternatives to provide breastmilk to their baby
alternatives.
Benefits of Breastfeeding 3
When people say, “breast is best,” they are not lying. Breastfeeding traces back all the
way from the 1950’s where almost all U.S. newborns were nursed (Weimer, 2001). Breastmilk
provides a network of wellness that is both beneficial for a mother and their infant as compared
to bottle feeding. Although artificial formula is widely used, it does not provide as many
benefits to the mother nor the baby. Breastfeeding has been shown to provide nutrients, health
benefits, cognitive growth, financial support, skin-to-skin benefits, as well as alternatives for
mothers who are not able to physically express breastmilk. For expecting mothers looking to
provide their baby with the greatest amount of nutrients, breastfeeding is more beneficial for
growing infant. According to Hale, a former midwife , “It provides free nourishment that is
perfectly balanced: temperature – controlled and adapts to meet the nutritional and energy
requirements of the growing child” (2007). There are many components to breastmilk that make
it nutritional as well as beneficial for a growing infant. Breastmilk contains fats, proteins, and
vitamins that are essential for an infant’s health. Shenker, an Oxford doctor and a cofounder of
the Hearts Milk Bank says, “Compared with other species, a higher proportion and diversity of
fatty acids support the growth of the brain which is particularly large in comparison to that of
other mammals” (2017). Breastmilk also contains colostrum. Colostrum is produced by the
mother right after birth. Shenker acknowledges, “It provides an energy – rich dose in just a few
milliliters per feed” (2017). Colostrum is high in carbohydrates, proteins, and even white blood
cells which infants obtain from drinking their mother's breastmilk. Shenker says, “Of these, the
most common cells are breast specific macrophages, which can engulf and absorb harmful
Benefits of Breastfeeding 4
microorganisms” (2017). When bacteria and different infectious organisms enter an infants’
body these macrophages are activated to destroy them. Breastmilk also contains an important
protein called lactoferrin and enzymes called lysozymes. Lactoferrin helps infants store iron and
both lysosomes and lactoferrin aid in the destruction of harmful bacteria that enter an infant.
Breastmilk also helps infants gain immunity to pathogens. Shenker acknowledges, “Antibodies
produced by the mother, which are transferred into milk as well as to cells in breast milk, are
highly targeted against infectious agents in her environment” (2017). Formula fed infants do not
get this type of immunity as breastfed infants, making them more prone to pathogens.
Breastmilk also promotes the growth of good bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. According to
Hale, “Recent research also shows that naturally occurring substances within breast milk, known
as prebiotics have a directly beneficial effect on the babies gut microflora” (2007). Eventually,
this will allow an infant’s gastrointestinal tract to stop harmful organisms from invading the gut.
mentions, “Although most oligosaccharides have unknown functions, some help to block
bacterial antigens from sticking to the wall of the gastrointestinal tract” (2017). Bacteria like
pneumococcus can cause things such as pneumonia and sepsis in an infant which these sugars
can prevent.
Another important component found in breastmilk are multipotent stem cells, which are
sent from the mother to the infant while feeding. Hassiotou, a biomedical doctor and a member
of the University of Western Australia Hartmann Lactation Research Group explains, “If we can
understand the properties of these cells and their role in the breast and the breastfed baby, we can
use them as models for breast cancer research and in innovative stem cell therapies” (2011).
Stem cell therapy can be used to help people who are suffering from Parkinson's disease and
Benefits of Breastfeeding 5
even diabetes, according to Dr. Hassiotou. These cells can not only turn into breast cells but can
differentiate into other cells found in the human body including bone, fat, brain, and liver cells
which have the potential of treating these certain types of diseases. Hassiotou also says, “The
benefit of obtaining stem cells from breast milk is that they can be accessed non-invasively,
unlike getting them from the bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, or peripheral blood” (2011).
Stem cells can be hard to obtain and the discovery of stem cells in breast milk will further aid in
stem cell research. There are many aspects of breastmilk that make it unique for a growing
infant. It not only provides nutrients for a growing infant, but also serves as a defense
mechanism and aids in stem cell research as well, and that’s not it; breastfeeding also serves
many health benefits for a growing infant and the infant’s mother.
physical and cognitive development, but despite teaching and understanding of the benefits
compliant with such recommendations (Ross-Cowdery et al., 2016). This figure is startling and
Research has shown that breastfeeding in the first six months of life is crucial for
development in the first one to two years of life. The first fluid produced by the mother
following birth is known as colostrum. Colostrum is produced in low quantities in the first few
secretory IgA, lactoferrin, leukocytes, as well as developmental factors such as epidermal growth
factor. The composition of colostrum fulfills its primary purpose of building the immune
system. Likewise, levels of sodium, chloride and magnesium are higher and levels of potassium
and calcium are lower in colostrum than later milk. As development of the mammary epithelium
Benefits of Breastfeeding 6
progresses, the sodium to potassium ratio declines and lactose concentration increases, indicating
secretory activation and the production of transitional milk. Transitional milk shares some of the
characteristics of colostrum but represents a period of “ramped up” milk production to support
the nutritional and developmental needs of the rapidly growing infant and typically occurs from
five days to two weeks postpartum, after which milk is considered largely mature. By four to six
weeks postpartum, human milk is considered fully mature (Ballard & Morrow, 2013).
As the mother initiates breastfeeding, she not only fulfills the nutritional needs of the
baby, but she will also reap the benefits of lactation. Childbearing is associated with long-term
weight gain and postpartum weight retention that has also been associated with adverse
loss. In a large prospective cohort study, it showed that greater intensity (exclusivity) and
duration of breastfeeding was associated with greater weight loss at 6 and 18 months postpartum
in women of all BMI categories (Baker, 2008). Secondly, breastfeeding is associated with a
decrease risk of cardiovascular, metabolic, and endocrine diseases. Pregnancy is associated with
changes in glucose and lipid metabolism that support the growing fetus, however, these changes
can be deleterious to the mother’s health. Breastfeeding, on the other hand, is associated with
favorable metabolic changes. Pregnancy is an insulin-resistant state, which results from the
effects on the mother of placental hormones with anti-insulin effects. These metabolic changes
can cause gestational diabetes, and may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes later in life.
Conversely, during lactation, insulin-sensitivity improves and may have lasting effects because a
4–12 percent reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes was observed for every 12 months of
lifetime lactation.
Benefits of Breastfeeding 7
cholesterol and triglycerides. Contrarily, lactation promotes favorable effects on maternal blood
lipids. Research has found that lactation is associated with lower risk of longer-term metabolic
risk factors and cardiovascular disease. Women who breastfeed their children have been less
decrease in risk for reproductive cancers has been observed among women who have breastfed,
possibly reducing their reduced lifetime exposure to hormones such as estrogen. According to a
2002 meta-analysis, women with breast cancer were less likely to breastfeed their children and
had a shorter average lifetime duration of breastfeeding rather than women who had not
Moving forward, it has been found that breastfeeding also supports a greater development
of cognitive function. That being said, cognitive development surrounds the idea of thinking
range and learning skills such as: language, attention, planning, problem solving and memory.
This paper reviews the most recent evidence for an effect of breastfeeding on
cognitive development, but goes beyond IQ, beyond just a number, and looks at
just what kind of brain development happens when infants are breastfed and what
Studies have shown that the first 9 months of life are the most critical times of brain growth and
cognitive development for children. Cognitive scores are tallied using the relations of head
circumference, a measurement of the general brain development, and correlating with brain
Benefits of Breastfeeding 8
volume. Ultimately, what is being studied is if breastfeeding or lack of breastfeeding can affect
A study was performed to review the effect of breastfeeding on children between the ages
of 1-5 years. Researchers found that breastfeeding reduces the extent of head circumference
deficits in a dose-dependent manner. This means that the longer the child was breastfed, the less
likely of underdeveloped brain growth. The article stated, “The prevalence of head
circumference deficit was 13.3% when infants were exclusively breastfed for 30 days or less,
10.6% when infants were exclusively breast for 30 - 119 days and 5.8% when infants were
exclusively breastfed for 120 days or more” (Tawia, 2013). This study confirmed that children
who were breastfed did not have head circumference deficits as compared the the children that
Similarly, another study was performed on adolescents who were either artificially fed or
breastfed using brain imaging to measure the development of the white matter in their brains.
The focus was on white matter because, “White matter is predominately made up of the myelin
sheaths that surround the nerve cells. Myelin acts to ensure that impulses or signals that are
transmitted along nerve cells travels quickly and efficiently” (Tawia, 2013). Children between
the ages of 10 months to 4 years of age received MRI scans while sleeping. Tawia stated in her
article, “Deoni et al (2013) found that young children artificially fed as infants exhibited less
white matter development than infants who were exclusively breastfed for at least 3 months”
(Tawia, 2013). In the end, this study was able to show that the group of children that were
exclusively breastfed had a faster growth in the development of white matter than children who
were artificially fed or fed with a mixture of breastmilk and artificial formula. It was also found
Benefits of Breastfeeding 9
that the increase of white matter volume became substantial by the age of 2 for the group of
activity that is detected by EEG. There are three kinds of evoked potentials in
widespread clinical use: auditory evoked potentials; visual evoked potentials; and
The evoked potential testing analyzes function and supplies information about the physiology of
distinct nerve pathways. For example, “.. visual evoked potentials are used primarily to measure
the functional integrity of the visual pathways from retina via the optic nerves to the visual
cortex of the brain” (Tawia, 2013). In other words, the evoked potentials are able to be used to
measure the neurophysiology of the developing infant. The study was performed by exploring
the visual, auditory and somatosensory evoked potentials of 1 year olds who were either
artificially fed or exclusively breastfed. Although all evoked potentials were found to be
decreased in artificially fed infants, visual evoked potentials especially were affected.
This last study was executed by observing the quantity of infants at the age of 8 months
passing the estimated milestones, which consist of crawling, pincer grip, and babbling. The
sample was studied among a group of 1,656 healthy infants that were exclusively breastfed.
Like the others, this study also resulted in an increased positivity with duration of breastfeeding.
According to McCrory,
Benefits of Breastfeeding 10
gross motor skill development, as well as their receptive and expressive language
In summary, this study leads to the idea that breastfeeding gives a positive influence on the
language and motor skills development in the early stages of a child’s life.
Another main component that comes with breastfeeding is skin-to-skin contact of the
mother and child. Jenny Clark, a nursing midwife, states, “Skin-to-skin contact involves the
newborn being placed on to the mother’s abdomen in a prone position straight after birth, then
carefully dried” (2014). This position is crucial, as it helps to keep the baby calm, regulating
heart rate, temperature, and also to facilitate breastfeeding. Kayla Johnson, who is a registered
nurse with a BSN, supports this by saying how multiple studies have found that infants spend
more time in quiet, deep sleeps, have lower and more stable heart rates, and have better gas
exchange while in this position (2013). These effects are from the baby using the mother’s
warmth, reducing its own energy use, and listening to the soothing heartbeat it has been near for
its entire life, which calms the baby down. In conjunction with this research, Pierre Kuhn, a
neonatologist and professor of pediatrics at the University Hospital of Strasbourg, expresses how
along with its other short and long term benefits, skin-to-skin contact appeared to be extremely
effective in reducing pain (2016). Therefore, skin-to-skin contact helped keep the baby calm and
reduce anxiety during procedures done with the baby. Besides the use of heart monitors and
various aspects through life. Clark explains that there have been multiple studies that have
shown not only early life benefits, but improved physical development, brain function, and social
Benefits of Breastfeeding 11
awareness in them over time (2014). These findings are mainly tested for and shown in early
stages of development but continue all the way through adulthood. Johnson asserts,
“Breastfeeding has also been associated with a lower risk for psychopathology in later life,
including adult anxiety and alcoholism” (2013). With all of these benefits for the child, the
mothers are preparing them for life during the first days after birth.
While the baby has a great amount of benefits from skin-to-skin contact, the mother
benefits in quite a few ways herself. One way mothers improve from skin-to-skin contact is that
it aids in the development of maternal behaviors, with mothers showing more affectionate
responses to her child (Johnson, 2013). Being through all the stress of labor and then having the
baby placed right onto the mother’s chest allows a deep emotional bond to be created between
them, which later shows in life. One of the more immediate effects is that the mother reports
more positive feelings toward their infant and were often more sensitive, as well as having less
stress and depression in general (Johnson, 2013). The stress relief that comes with skin-to-skin
contact further allows the mother to grow closer together with her child. Johnson specifies,
“Close physical contact and lower stress levels allow the mother to become in tuned with her
infants physical and emotional needs, significantly contributing to positive parenting and
physiological, cognitive, and socio-emotional growth of the child” (2013). This shows how the
mother and child feed off of each other’s strengths and happiness, creating a beneficial cycle. All
of these advantages are attributed to skin-to-skin contact, which creates numerous health benefits
Breastfeeding not only provides a great source of nutritional benefits to the baby as well
as the mother, but likewise, includes many benefits financially for the whole family. According
to the most recent data, approximately 64 percent of women giving birth in hospitals breastfeed
Benefits of Breastfeeding 12
and 29 percent of those women still breastfeed at 6 months (Weimer, 2001). The USDA’s
Economic Research Service (ERS) found that a minimum of $3.6 billion could be saved if more
mothers giving birth choose to breastfeed their children. These savings include three different
childhood illnesses, medical expenditures, wages lost by parents attending to an ill child, and the
prevention of premature deaths (Weimer, 2001). Whether the child is fed breast milk exclusively
through the mother’s breast or if the mother has to express the milk into a bottle for their child, it
is widely believed to be the most beneficial method for both nutritional and financial reasons for
infants and parents (Weimer, 2001). Breastfeeding saves the average family an astronomical
amount of money by not having to purchase artificial formula every week and also by saving
money on doctor visits when the child becomes sick. As we all know, children catch numerous
amounts of illnesses and doctor visits are highly expensive, therefore, with the most accurate
amount of nutrition given through breastfeeding, not only will children grow healthier, but
stated, “In a 1997 policy statement, the AAP reported that research in the United States, Canada,
Europe, and other developed countries indicates that breastfeeding decreases the incidence and
or/ severity of diarrhea, lower respiratory infection, otitis media, bacterial meningitis, botulism,
urinary tract infection, and necrotizing enterocolitis” (2001). It has been shown that breastfed
infants are less likely to catch common infectious illnesses than formula-fed infants. This
finding can be translated to mothers who breastfeed who tend to miss fewer days from work to
care for an ill child than mothers who strictly formula feed their children (Weimer, 2001). In
Benefits of Breastfeeding 13
comparison to formula feeding, breastfeeding was found to result in a net benefit of $478 during
the first 6 months of the child’s life (Weimer, 2001). When looking at the total medical costs of
infants that are breastfed versus formula-fed, the study had found that breastfed infants had fewer
inpatient admissions and their total medical costs averaged $200 less than those infants receiving
artificial formula (Weimer, 2001). Breastfeeding helps to reduce the risk of acquiring several
chronic illnesses with associated costs that can accrue over several years and sometimes over a
lifetime (Weimer, 2001). When trying to decipher which option is the best for your child, it is
always good to keep in mind that a mother produces the most nutrients for her child and her milk
is free.
phenomenon that takes 45 seconds to 3.5 minutes to occur (Gardner et al., 2015). As noted by
Gardner, “Successful lactation is dependent on both milk synthesis and milk ejection” (Gardner
et al., 2015). Although breastfeeding is the most convenient method of milk removal, many
mothers are unable to physically breastfeed their children and often try to look for other
alternatives rather than purchasing artificial formula (Gardner et al., 2015). In fact, according to
Dr. Katherine Carroll and Dr. Kenneth Herrmann, “There is a rising trend in the United States of
America to feed hospitalized very low birth weight (VLBW) premature infants pasteurized donor
human milk (PDHM) from human milk banks (HMBs) when a mother’s own milk (MOM) is
unavailable” (2012). Donor milk for premature infants is said to reduce the incidence of
necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), improve enteral feed tolerance and gastric emptying and to
achieve the rapid establishment of full enteral feeding (Carroll & Herrmann, 2012).
Benefits of Breastfeeding 14
As a first time mother, it is important to know that breastfeeding is a skill that requires
practice, patience, and great encouragement (Blincoe, 2005). When mothers are physically not
able to breastfeed due to difficulty with the baby not latching on properly or an issue due to the
mother, breastmilk can either be expressed manually with a breast pump or more readily by
using an electric or battery-powered breast pump (Blincoe, 2005). The milk can then be stored
in the fridge or frozen, but however, it should be kept in mind that the composition of breast milk
corresponds to the developmental needs of a baby at the time milk is produced, so it is best if it
can be used in its freshest state (Blincoe, 2005). The great thing about expressing breast milk is
that it can still be kept in plastic bottles without fear of losing any of the milks nutrients (Blincoe,
2005). When mothers cannot breastfeed they tend to be pushed to what they believe is the only
other option, artificial formula. Mothers across the world should be informed that before trying
artificial formula for their baby, they should look into the alternative methods such as expressing
their breastmilk into a bottle and storing it, purchasing donor breastmilk and then when all other
options fail, according to all the research collected on the best options to receive the most
nutrients for mother and baby, is when artificial formula should be used.
In conclusion, for expecting mothers looking to provide their baby with the greatest
amount of nutrients, breastfeeding is more beneficial for both mother and baby than artificial
formula. Although artificial formula is easily accessible, breastmilk has been found to provide
greater nutrients, health benefits, cognitive growth, financial support, skin-to-skin benefits, and
alternatives for mothers that are not able to physically express breastmilk. These claims have
been shown to benefit the infants and the mother presently and in the future. With that being
Benefits of Breastfeeding 15
said, it is important for expecting mothers to be educated thoroughly on all options available to
References
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Ballard, O., & Morrow, A. L. (2013). Human milk composition: Nutrients and bioactive
Blincoe, A. (2005). The health benefits of breastfeeding for mothers. British Journal of
Carroll, K., & Herrmann, K. (2012). Introducing donor human milk to the NICU: lessons for
Dieterich, C. M., Felice, J. P., O’Sullivan, E., & Rasmussen, K. M. (2013). Breastfeeding and
health outcomes for the mother-infant dyad. Pediatric Clinics of North America,
60(1), 31–48.
F. H., Dr. (2011, October 17). Breastmilk a natural stem cell therapy. Retrieved from
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15(6), 368-371.
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Kuhn, P. (2016). Skin-to-skin care, cortical activation and pain behaviour in preterm infants.
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