Breastfeeding May Be Key For Strong Mother-Infant Bond

breastfeedingAccording to Australian researchers, mothers who feed their babies through breastfeeding are less likely to neglect their child.

In the study, the researchers followed almost 7,223 women and their children for 15 years and came to conclusion that the longer the mother breast-fed her baby, the lower will be the risk to neglect her child.

New mothers who breast-fed their newborns for less than four months were twice as expected to neglect their children when compared with those who breast fed their babies for four months or more.

Women who fail to breast fed their babies were almost 3.8 times more likely to neglect their children as those who feed their infants through breastfeeding for at least 4 months.

Even after they adjusted for other factors like substance abuse, socioeconomic status and depression, the researchers believe that there is strong association between motherly care and breastfeeding.

According to Dr. Lane Strathearn, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, study senior author, “previous research has suggested the role of breast feeding in mother infant bond and how a new mother can form strong bond with her infant through breastfeeding”.

Oxytocin is the important hormone produced during breastfeeding that helps to promote motherly care and strengthens maternal behavior.

Researchers believe that it may be that breastfeeding that help stimulates oxytocin production in brain and develop attachment relationship of mother and her infant.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

seven + 1 =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.