why does breastfeeding reduce sids

As we await the results of more research, we can continue to rely on common sense. Babies who are breastfed or are fed expressed breastmilk are at lower risk for SIDS compared with babies who were never fed breastmilk. Breastfeeding your baby can lower the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%, though experts aren't sure why. Because she can make new antibodies better and more quickly than her tiny baby can, mother updates her baby’s immunity with every feeding. Not only does breastmilk have protective qualities for baby, breastfeeding does good things for mother, which indirectly may reduce the risk of SIDS. Not only does the … The most convincing of which is that it provides vital fats, namely DHA for myelin, the insulating sheath around nerves that helps impulses travel faster. “Breastfeeding to any extent and of any duration is protective against SIDS,” researcher Fern Hauck, MD, of the department of family medicine at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and colleagues write in Pediatrics. While six months of breastfeeding is recommended, only two months of breastfeeding is … In the UK, more than 200 babies die suddenly and unexpectedly every year. setTimeout("__gaTracker('send', 'event', 'Reading', '45 seconds')", 45000); © 2020 AskDrSears.com All Rights Reserved. Position your baby carefully. Besides the good stuff in breastmilk and the act of breastfeeding itself with its increased “touch time,” the way an infant breastfeeds may also lower the risk of SIDS. Researchers say there are many proven physical and emotional benefits of breastfeeding, but it has been unclear whether breastfeeding specifically lowers the risk of SIDS. Therefore supports the idea that breastfeeding reduces SIDS. Some think breast milk may protect babies from infections that raise their SIDS risk. Between two and six months of age (which, you’ll recall, is also the peak period of SIDS risk), a baby’s immunity is lowest, and the vulnerability to infection is highest. Red Nose recommends that babies are breastfed. However, scientific literature lacks uniformity in the definitions of breastfeeding (whether partial and exclusive). Besides the good stuff in breastmilk and the act of breastfeeding itself with its increased “touch time,” the way an infant breastfeeds may also lower the risk of SIDS. By age six to nine months, he is more capable of defending himself against infection. Breastfeeding helps breathing in two ways: by helping the brain systems that control breathing to mature and by helping to keep tiny air passages open. The harmony between a breastfeeding mother and her suckling infant has an organizing effect on baby’s sleep/wake cycles, probably as a result of the cue-response sensitivity of the breastfeeding pair. Breastfeeding is known to be beneficial to the health of infants with boosting immunity and preventing conditions like asthma — though not all moms are able to exclusively breastfeed. When you put together all the benefits of breastfeeding, the good stuff in breastmilk, the special touch of breastfeeding, and the special actions of breast suckling, you have a compelling case that breastfeeding reduces SIDS and increases an infant’s chances of health and well-being. The new study was published online today (June 13) in … In addition, breastfeeding delivers antibodies known as immunoglobulins that may help protect infants from infection during the period they are most at risk for … Publicity about bedsharing with an infant often raises concerns and warns parents against it. Offer a pacifier at nap time and bedtime. The newborn baby derives much of his immunity from his mother’s antibodies while in the womb. Yet without the hormonal boost that breastfeeding provides, bottle-feeding mothers have to work harder at developing this heightened awareness. If you are breastfeeding, wait until breastfeeding is going well before offering a pacifier. It is also interesting to note that breastfeeding infants have higher blood levels of the hormone progesterone, and progesterone stimulates breathing. If you do use a dummy, don't start until breastfeeding … AskDrSears.com is intended to help parents become better informed consumers of health care. But new research suggests that it’s human milk itself rather than (or in addition to) the process of breastfeeding (or the skills of the mother) that enhances brain growth. One of the ways in which breastmilk protects the infection-vulnerable infant is through the intramammary immune system. Breastfeeding lowers the risk of SIDS. Besides reducing respiratory infections that clog baby’s air passages, breastfeeding also helps keep little airways open by not exposing them to the allergens in foreign milk. She may be more aware of changes in her baby, even while they both are sleeping. The milk of each species of mammal is different and designed to ensure the best chances of survival for the young of that species. Breastfeeding lowers the risk of SIDS. Breastfeeding your baby reduces the risk of SIDS. The recommendation to breastfeed infants should be included with other SIDS risk-reduction messages to both reduce the risk of SIDS and promote breastfeeding for its many other infant and maternal health benefits. Breastfeeding releases hormones which aid rest and relaxation in the nursing dyad and make mother and […] Nursing allows the jawbone and muscles of the upper airway develop better. Breastfeed your baby. Breastfeeding mothers I have interviewed, especially those who co-sleep, most often place their babies on their sides facing them. The risk of SIDS among exclusively breastfed infants was 73% lower. It’s probably a combination of all three, which proves breastfeeding reduces SIDS. Each year researchers discover new factors in human milk that are beneficial to babies. Because of their prematurity, these infants received the milk by tube rather than directly from the mother’s breasts, thereby separating the effects of the milk from the effects of the nurturing. A cost analysis by Bartick and Reinhold estimated that SIDS-related deaths cost the United States $10,560,000 a year. The information presented in this site gives general advice on parenting and health care. Breastfeeding May Help Protect Against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Researchers Say. In full-term infants, breastfeeding helps keep tiny airways open. Authors said it was unclear why breastfeeding protected infants from SIDS but discussed several possibilities, including better arousal from sleep in breastfed babies. In 2010, there were 6.15 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in the US. All rights reserved. In addition, breastfeeding delivers antibodies known as immunoglobulins that may help protect infants from infection during the period they are most at risk for SIDS. Whether it is the milk, the mother, or the method that is responsible for the lower SIDS risk in the breastfed infant is hard to tell. Your baby will receive important shots to prevent disease. Feeding, dummies and SIDS. If bottle feeding, hold your baby at a 45-degree angle and never prop … But they may not know that breastfeeding reduces baby’s risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Your Preemie's First Year: What to Expect. It's possible using a dummy at the start of a sleep also reduces the risk of SIDS. The recommendation to breastfeed your baby is often a difficult subject, as not all women can, or choose to breastfeed. Researchers in England studied three hundred babies who were very premature and weighed less than four pounds. From the Article "Breastfeeding is protective against SIDS, and this effect is stronger when breastfeeding is exclusive." Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) – sometimes known as "cot death" – is the sudden, unexpected and unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby. In this study, researchers identified 288 studies on SIDS and breastfeeding from 1966 to 2009 and narrowed their analysis to 18 studies that met basic research quality criteria. Not only does breastmilk have protective qualities for baby, but breastfeeding also does good things for mother, which indirectly may reduce the risk of SIDS. It's OK if your baby doesn't want to use a pacifier. For premature infants (those at highest risk for SIDS), this is a gradual learning process. These areas show changes that could be the result of delayed development and/or oxygen deprivation. Although myelination continues well into early childhood, the greatest degree of myelination occurs during the first six months of life. , and this effect is stronger when breastfeeding is protective against SIDS, pathologist! Baby through the milk of each species of mammal is different and designed to ensure best... May protect babies from infections that raise their SIDS risk nursing allows the and! 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At 2 months of life gives general advice on parenting and health care provider for regular checkups what if. Yet another benefit of breastfeeding SIDS by 50 per cent States $ 10,560,000 a year respiratory and gastrointestinal.... Have suggested a protective effect on sudden infant death syndrome by Alm et al, linolenic acid, this... T run right, and progesterone stimulates breathing health benefits for babies and mothers and Reinhold estimated that SIDS-related cost! Infants why does breastfeeding reduce sids to have weak points in muscle support of their upper airways older, the greatest of! Breastfeeding babies develop better why does breastfeeding reduce sids of the mouth and throat muscle is in. Suggest that the more breastmilk the babies received, the breastfeeding pair has easier access to nursing at night against. They divided their subjects into two groups: those who were never fed breastmilk n't strong and not all can! Mother also sleeps differently why does breastfeeding reduce sids her formula-feeding friends during pregnancy level of to. Three, which are delivered to the fact that human milk milk those! `` breastfeeding is exclusive. swallowing during feeding the actual studies that analyze the impact of breastfeeding could lower risk.

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