The Globe and Mail: Breastfeeding benefits mothers, too
Small Doses Breastfeeding benefits mothers, too if(typeof sIFR == "function"){ runSIFR(); }
Friday, July 29, 2005 Page A15
Breastfeeding advocates have long maintained that mother's milk is the best source of nutrition for a growing infant. But new research shows that nursing is good for mom, too: It apparently reduces her stress levels.Researchers at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre in Montreal recently completed a study comparing stress levels of mothers who breastfed their newborns with those who used a bottle formula.
To provoke a stressful situation, the two groups of mothers were shown fictional films in which children were exposed to danger. The non-breastfeeding mothers reacted much more strongly to the films, producing higher levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, in their bodies than did the breastfeeders.
"Our findings show some of the bottle-feeding moms to be more reactive to stress, which may lead to less than optimal care for the infant," said Mai Tu, a graduate student who conducted the research.
The senior researcher, Claire-Dominique Walker, believes the lactating mothers experienced less stress because their brains produce higher amount of oxytocin, another hormone. Oxytocin plays a key role in lactation, but it also seems to have a calming effect on the mother.
The study also showed that the reduction in stress was most pronounced in experienced breastfeeders who already had at least one child. "This indicated an added potential benefit of breastfeeding after repeated deliveries," researcher Sonia Lupien said.
No comments:
Post a Comment