They disclosed this in a study that is published in ‘The Journal of Paediatrics’. According to the researchers, the infants have been found to have larger volumes of certain brain regions at term equivalent and have better IQs, academic achievement, working memory and motor function. Breastfeeding or nursing is the feeding of babies and young children with milk from a woman’s breast.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that breastfeeding begin within the first hour of a baby’s life and be allowed as often and as much as the baby wants.
The world body similarly advocates that babies should be breastfed exclusively for six months after which both complementary feeding would be continued with breastfeeding thereafter until the child is weaned.
Reacting to the study, Researcher Mandy Brown Belfort said: “Many mothers of preterm babies have difficulty providing breast milk for their babies, and we need to work hard to ensure that these mothers have the best possible support systems in place to maximise their ability to meet their own feeding goals. It is also important to note that there are so many factors that influence a baby’s development, with breast milk being just one.”
This information was subsequently cross referenced with data related to regional brain volumes measured by MRI scans at each baby’s term equivalent age and again at seven years old.
They conducted further analysis on cognitive capabilities, including IQ, reading, maths, attention, working memory, language and visual perception. The researchers followed 180 premature infants from birth until they turned seven. They identified babies which had received breast milk as more than 50 per cent of their nutritional intake from birth to 28 days of life.
This information was subsequently cross referenced with data related to regional brain volumes measured by MRI scans at each baby’s term equivalent age and again at seven years old. Story By JOHNSON OKPUSA OBASI
