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Washington, May 6 (ANI): A new study has found that long-term, exclusive breastfeeding boosts children’s cognitive development.

In a study of 17,046 children, the team found that breastfeeding exclusively during the first year of life was associated with an increase in a child’s intelligence by first grade.

Previous studies have reported that children and adults who were breastfed as infants have higher scores on IQ tests and other measures of cognitive (thinking, learning and memory) development than those who were fed formula, according to background information in the article.

However, the evidence has been based on observational studies, in which children whose mothers chose to breastfeed were compared with those whose mothers chose not to breastfeed. The results of these studies may be complicated by subtle differences in the way breastfeeding mothers interact with their infants, the authors note.

Michael S. Kramer, M.D., of McGill University and the Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial of a breastfeeding promotion program involving patients at 31 maternity hospitals and affiliated clinics in Belarus.

Between June 1996 and December 1997, clinics were randomly assigned either to adopt a program supporting and promoting breastfeeding or to continue their current practices and policies.

A total of 7,108 infants and mothers who visited facilities promoting breastfeeding and 6,781 infants and mothers who visited control facilities received follow-up interviews and examinations between 2002 and 2005, when the children were an average of 6.5 years old.

Mothers who visited a facility promoting breastfeeding were more likely to feed their infants only breast milk at age 3 months (43.3 percent vs. 6.4 percent in the control group) and at all ages through 1 year. At age 6.5, the children in the breastfeeding group scored an average of 7.5 points higher on tests measuring verbal intelligence, 2.9 points higher on tests measuring non-verbal intelligence and 5.9 points higher on tests measuring overall intelligence.

Teachers also rated these children significantly higher academically than control children in both reading and writing.

“Even though the treatment difference appears causal, it remains unclear whether the observed cognitive benefits of breastfeeding are due to some constituent of breast milk or are related to the physical and social interactions inherent in breastfeeding,” the authors write.

Essential long-chain fatty acids and a compound known as insulinlike growth factor I, both found in breastmilk, could be responsible for the cognitive differences.

On the other hand, the physical or emotional component of breastfeeding may lead to permanent changes affecting brain development. Breastfeeding also may increase verbal interaction between mother and child, which could improve children’s cognitive development.

“Although breastfeeding initiation rates have increased substantially during the last 30 years, much less progress has been achieved in increasing the exclusivity and duration of breastfeeding,” the authors write.

“The consistency of our findings based on a randomized trial with those reported in previous observational studies should prove helpful in encouraging further public health efforts to promote, protect and support breastfeeding,” they conclude.

The study appears in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. (ANI)

Source:  http://in.news.yahoo.com/ani/20080506/r_t_ani_hl/thl-breastfeeding-boosts-kids-iq-3b18f0d.html

New moms who are working will need information about breast milk storage. Here is a good article about breast milk storage.

STORING AND TRANSPORTING BREAST MILK

Source: www.askdrsears.com/html/2/t026900.asp#T026901
Mother’s milk is precious to both you and your baby. It represents commitment on your part and ideal nourishment for your baby. Handle your milk with care. The same immune properties in your milk that protect your baby also help protect the milk from bacteria growth while it sits on the refrigerator shelf.

What kind of container should I use to store my milk?

The options include hard or soft containers, with several choices under each category. Each has advantages and drawbacks.

• Soft containers are plastic bags.
• Hard containers are made of plastic or glass.What kind to use comes down to two issues:
• protecting the milk and all its valuable components
• your convenience and that of the baby’s caregivers.

Unfortunately, there is not a lot of research about how storage containers affect human milk. One study showed that the leukocytes in milk (the live cells that transfer immunity from you to your baby) sticks to the side of glass containers, but subsequent research showed greater numbers of leukocytes in glass containers than in plastic, as the cells were released from the sides of the containers over time. Research has also shown a loss of antibodies and fat in milk that is stored in plastic bags, but this information applies only to disposable plastic nurser bags, the thin ones you can buy at most stores to use with baby bottles. If you do choose to store your milk in these, use two bags to protect against breakage and “freezer burn.” Use twist ties to close the bags.

Plastic bags specially designed for freezing expressed human milk are available from many companies that specialize in products for breastfeeding mothers and babies. These bags are sturdier than those used in baby bottles and have self-closures that are easier to seal and label. They do a better job of protecting milk components than nurser bags. Some types can be attached directly to your pump.

The information currently available suggests that glass or hard-sided plastic containers (the kind of plastic that is clear, not cloudy) provide the best protection for nutrients and immunities. Hard containers should have secure, one-piece tops. If your baby is getting a lot of his nourishment directly at the breast, you don’t need to be as concerned about nutrient loss through freezing and contact with storage containers as you do if your baby is getting only expressed milk and not nursing directly at the breast.

Convenience is another issue, and opinions will vary. Plastic bags take up less room in the freezer and are one-use items, so there’s no dishwashing involved. However, filling them and pouring milk out of them can be awkward.

How should I wash containers that will hold milk? Do I need to sterilize them?

When you are pumping milk for a full-term, healthy baby, you do not need to worry about sterilizing storage containers or pump parts. Wash your storage containers in hot soapy water, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before you pump. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for information on washing parts of the pump. Storage containers and parts of some pumps can be washed in a dishwasher.

Mothers who are pumping milk for a sick or hospitalized baby will need to be more careful about milk handling and sterilization procedures.

Freezer or refrigerator? How quickly does human milk spoil?

Freezing destroys some of the immune properties in human milk, so it’s best if your baby is given fresh milk–milk that has been expressed and then refrigerated. The chart in Storage Times for Human Milk tells you how long you can keep expressed milk at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or in the freezer. (Print this file and keep it on your refrigerator door!)

Label each container with the date, so that you can use the oldest milk first and avoid needless waste.

How much should I store in each container?

Store your milk in small amounts, about two ounces in each container, at least at first. (If you’re pumping milk for a premature baby, you may want to store it in even smaller amounts.) Breastfed babies take smaller amounts of milk at each feeding than do formula-fed infants, and smaller amounts are also quicker to thaw. Milk left in a bottle after a feeding can be saved until the next feeding, but after that it should be discarded, and you don’t want to waste expressed milk. Eventually, you may decide to put more milk in each bottle, based on your caregiver’s report on how much your baby takes at each feeding.

You can add more milk to already-frozen milk, but cool the added milk in the refrigerator first. There should be less added milk than already-frozen milk.

Always leave about an inch of space at the top of the container to allow for expansion. Just like water for ice cubes, human milk expands when you freeze it. Hard containers will pop open as the milk expands. Bags will break. Squeeze out the air at the top of the bag and fasten it an inch above the milk.

How do I safely store my milk?

• Bags containing human milk should be placed inside another container in the refrigerator or freezer. This makes for better protection and easier handling.
• If you lay the bags down in a container in the freezer, you’ll get flatter packages that will thaw more quickly. (But be sure they’re sealed well, or you’ll have a leaky mess.)
• You might want to keep all your hard containers of milk together in the freezer or refrigerator inside a larger plastic box.

How long can I keep the stored milk?

Amazingly, research has found that human milk stored in the refrigerator for eight days actually has lower bacterial levels than freshly expressed milk. For more details on recommended storage times, see Storage Times for Human Milk.

Since human milk can be kept in the refrigerator for up to eight days, it may be possible to provide your baby with fresh, not frozen, milk most of the time. This insures that your baby gets the maximum amount of nutrients and immunities. Instruct your caregiver to use the oldest milk first and keep the supply rotating.

Previously frozen milk can be kept in the refrigerator for 24 hours after thawing. This means that you or the baby’s caregiver can thaw milk for all of your baby’s feedings at one time, or you can thaw the milk in the refrigerator overnight. This can make it faster to prepare a bottle when your baby is hungry. Milk that has thawed should not be refrozen.

How do I safely transport my milk?

Research shows that bacteria do not grow readily in human milk, and that it can be kept safely at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours or more (see Storage times for human milk). So you don’t need to worry if you can’t rush your milk to the refrigerator right after you express. But it still makes sense to refrigerate the milk as soon as possible and to keep it cool when taking it home or to the sitter’s. If you have refrigerator space available at work, you can store your milk there until the workday is over, or use an insulated container with reusable carry-ice to keep it cool.

 

What are the best ways to thaw and heat my stored milk

Heat can destroy human milk’s enzymes, immune properties, and other valuable components, so the milk requires gentle care before it is served to baby. Follow these guidelines:

• Defrost milk by holding it under warm running water.
• Or, place the container of milk in a bowl of warm water on the kitchen counter. As the water cools, replace it with more warm water until the milk is thawed and warmed to body temperature.
• Do not heat expressed human milk on top of the stove. It’s too easy to overheat it this way. Do not boil!
• Do not heat expressed human milk in a microwave oven. Even if the overall temperature of the milk stays below body temperature, there may be “hot spots” where the milk is overheated and some of its beneficial properties are destroyed. The uneven heating can also be dangerous when the bottle is given to baby.
• Human milk, like any milk that is not processed or homogenized, tends to separate when stored. The cream rises to the top. Swirl the bottle gently to mix the layers.
• Human milk has a thin, bluish look to it, quite different from either homogenized cow’s milk or the grayish color of infant formula. Your baby’s caregiver may need reassurance that this is normal.

STORAGE GUIDELINES FOR HUMAN MILK These guidelines are for mothers who are expressing milk for a full-term healthy baby. Use clean containers, and wash your hands with soap and water before expressing. or pumping. When providing milk for a baby who is seriously ill and/or hospitalized, check with healthcare providers for instructions. Where stored Storage temperature (degrees Fahrenheit) Storage temperature (degrees Centigrade) How long At room temperature 60 degrees F 15 degrees C 24 hours At room temperature 66-72 degrees F 19-22 degrees C 10 hours At room temperature 79 degrees F 25 degrees C 4-6 hours In a refrigerator 32-39 degrees F 0-4 degrees C 8 days In a freezer compartment inside a refrigerator     2 weeks In a self-contained freezer unit of a refrigerator     3-4 months In a separate deep freeze with a constant temperature 0 degrees F -19 degrees C 6 months or longer SAVE? OR DUMP? Type of Milk Save or Dump? Why Milk remaining in the bottle that has been offered to baby Use for next feeding, otherwise discard. Bacteria from the baby’s mouth may have entered the milk during the feeding. This may lead to bacterial contamination if it sets too long (though as yet there is no research available). Milk that has been thawed Save in the refrigerator for 24 hours after thawing, then discard. Do not refreeze. Milk that has been frozen has lost some of the immune properties that inhibit bacterial growth in fresh refrigerated milk. Milk that has been kept in the refrigerator for eight days Transfer to storage in the freezer, or discard. Bacterial growth is not a problem, but milk sometimes picks up odors or flavors from the refrigerator or the container.

First time moms normally find breast feeding is not easy. There’s a level of skill required for successful feeding and a correct technique to use. Incorrect positioning
is one of the biggest reasons for unsuccessful feeding and it can even injure the nipple or breast quite easily. Below is guidance for first time moms who are getting started with breastfeeding.

When you hold your baby for the first time in the delivery room, you should put his lips to your breast. Although your mature milk hasn’t developed yet, your breasts are still producing a substance known as colostrum that helps to protect your baby from infections.

If your baby has trouble finding or staying on your nipple, you shouldn’t panic. Breast feeding is an art that will require a lot of patience and a lot of practice. No one expects you to be an expert when you first start, so you shouldn’t hesitate to ask for advice or have a nurse show you what you need to do.

Once you start, keep in mind that nursing shouldn’t be painful. When your baby latches on, pay attention to how your breasts feel. If the latching on
hurts, break the suction then try again.

You should nurse quite frequently, as the more you nurse the more quickly your mature milk will come in and the more milk you’ll produce. Breast feeding for 10 - 15 minutes per breast 8 - 10 times every 24 hours is an ideal target. Crying is a sign of hunger, which means you should actually feed your baby before he starts crying.

During the first few days, you may have to wake your baby to begin breast feeding, and he may end up falling asleep during feeding. To ensure that your baby is eating often enough, you should wake him up if it has been four hours since the last time he has been fed.

By stroking the baby’s cheek with the nipple, the baby will open its mouth towards the nipple, which should then be pushed in so that the baby will get a mouthful of nipple and areola. This position is known as latching on. A lot of women prefer to wear a nursing bra to allow easier access to the breast than other normal bras.

Get comfortable. The length of feeding time will vary. For some mothers, feedings can take 40 minutes or longer, therefore you’ll want a cozy spot. You don’t want to be sitting somewhere where you will be bothered, as it can make the process very hard. Regardless of the duration of feeding time, it’s important for mothers to be comfortable. The following are positions you can use:
1. Upright - The sitting position where the back is straight.
2. Mobile - Mobile is where the mother carries her baby in a sling or carrier while breast feeding. Doing this allows the mother to breast feed in the work of everyday life.
3. Lying down - This is good for night feeds or for those who have had a caesarean section.
4. On her back - The mother is sitting slightly upright, also a useful position for tandem breast feeding.
5. On her side - The mother and baby both lie on their sides.
6. Hands and knees - In this feeding position the mother is on all fours with the baby underneath her. Keep in mind, this position isn’t normally recommended.

Anytime you don’t feel comfortable with a feeding position, always stop and switch to a different position. Each position is different, while some mothers prefer one position, other’s may like a totally different position. All you need to do is experiment and see which position is best for you.