3 August, 2021
Benefits of Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding can be really hard work. At times, it can feel impossible with difficulty latching, infections and fatigue and so much else going on.
Yet you push on. Why? Maybe because you instinctively feel that there's benefits for breastfeeding go far beyond your current pain and difficulties.
Benefits of Breastfeeding for the Baby
Higher IQs (Horta, Mola, & Victora 2015)
Larger brains (Luby, Belden, Whalen, Harms, & Barch, 2016, p. 367)
Reduce risk of childhood leukaemia (Amitay & Keinan-Boker 2015)
Easier to digest as it's 50-80% whey protein (rather than largely casein protein in formulas)
Less likely to be overweight as a teenager (Moore, 2018)
Less likely to develop Diabetes later in life (Patelarou et al., 2012)
Less likely to develop middle ear infections (Lodge, Bowatte, Matheson, & Dharmage, 2016)
For every month of breastfeeding, there's a reduced risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) (Thompson et al., 2017)
Prevents development of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) like Crohn's (Xu et al., 2017)
Less likely to develop allergies, asthma, allergy-related illnesses and recurring wheezes (van den Elsen, Garssen, Burcelin, & Verhasselt, 2019) (Verduci et al., 2017)
Better oral and facial development to help with speech and language production (Thomaz et al., 2018)
More than six months of breastfeeding is protective against lymphoid cancer (Moore, 2018)
The nipples detect if the baby is unwell or lacking in nutrients to provide what the baby needs
Better bone mineralisation and decreased chance of osteoporosis later in life
Hormones in breastmilk are thought to shape infant's temperament
Better gut microbiome
One study found that 30% of babies' beneficial gut bacteria comes directly from the mothers' milk and another 10% from the breast skin (Mueller et al. 2015). The micobiome development is disrupted by C-sections, antibiotics (either during pregnancy, birth or after birth) and formula feeding (Pannaraj et al. 2017). Disruptions to the gut microbiome is now being linked to many diseases and ailments.
Benefits of Breastfeeding for the Mum
Breastfeeding has many benefits for the lactating mumma such as lowering the risk of:
Ovarian cancer (Li 2014)
Breast cancer (Zhou et al. 2015)
Endometrial cancer (Jordan 2017)
Postpartum depression (Binns, Lee, & Low 2016)
Type 2 Diabetes (Binns, Lee, & Low 2016)
Multiple sclerosis (Conradi 2012)
Osteoporosis
Postpartum uterine / placental bleeding (Uvnas-Moberg 1996)
Cardiovascular disease (Kirkegaard et al. 2018) (Schwarz et al. 2009)
High cholesterol (Schwarz et al. 2009)
High blood pressure (Binns, Lee, & Low 2016)
In fact, any breastfeeding at all reduces the changes of breast, ovarian or endometrial cancer (Zhou et al. 2015)
(Li 2014) (Jordan 2017). The longer the breastfeeding continues for, the biggest the reduction in risk of these cancer that there is for the breastfeeding mumma (Zhou et al. 2015) (Li 2014) (Jordan 2017).
In some nationalities, this may be more pronounced than others. A Sri Lankan study showed that collectively breastfeeding for 2-3 years across all their children, resulted in an 88% decreased risk of developing breast cancer (De Silva, Senarath, Gunatilake, & Lokuhetty 2010).
Breastfeeding also has other benefits, like:
Oxytocin release to aid bonding (Chua, 1994; Uvnas-Moberg, 1996)
Lose weight faster (Kramer, 1993)
Can delay the return to menstruation
Prolonged breastfeeding may prevent the return of endometriosis in some women (Havard, 1995)
Despite all the beautiful benefits to breastfeeding, it is very difficult at times. If you are struggling, please reach out for help. Here's some useful local resources that can assist you in addition to the Australian Breastfeeding Association.
Appointments available in Moonee Ponds or online.
About the Author
Dr Cassie Atkinson-Quinton - Chiropractor, Sleep Coach, Postpartum Doula (in-training), Perinatal Yoga & Pilates Instructor
There's a lot of change that happens for both parents and babies in the first few months after birth. There's tremendous growth and development for the bubba. Parents need to learn new (or remember and relearn with subsequent kids) how to look after a child. Mother's bodies are healing from pregnancy & birth and the new challenges of breastfeeding. This is a passion area for Cassie. She helps support her clients through this transition with Chiropractic, Yoga & Pilates, Sleep Coaching and Doula support services.
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Amitay, E. L., & Keinan-Boker, L. (2015). Breastfeeding and childhood leukemia incidence: a meta-analysis and systematic review. JAMA Pediatrics, 169(6), e151025-e151025. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.1025
Binns, C., Lee, M., & Low, W. Y. (2016). The long-term public health benefits of breastfeeding. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 28(1), 7-14. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1010539515624964
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Xu, L., Lochhead, P., Ko, Y., Claggett, B., Leong, R. W., & Ananthakrishnan, A. N. (2017). Systematic review with meta‐analysis: breastfeeding and the risk of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 46(9), 780-789. https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.14291
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