Over the years, there has been significant evidence to show that breastfeeding contributes to the health of both the mother and her baby. New study has found that pre-term babies fed more breast milk in the first 28 days of life had better brain development and neurocognitive outcomes.
As part of the study, 180 pre-term infants enrolled in the Victorian Infant Brain Studies cohort from 2001-2003 were followed from birth to age seven. The infants in the study were born before 30 weeks gestation.
The researchers surveyed the number of days the infants received breast milk and examined the data related to regional brain volumes measured by magnetic resonance imaging at each baby's term equivalent age and at seven years old. The babies' IQ, reading, mathematics, attention, working memory, language, visual perception and motor testing were also tested at age seven.
According to the study findings, babies who were fed more breast milk within the first 28 days of life had larger deep nuclear gray matter volume at *term equivalent, and by age seven, performed better in IQ, mathematics, working memory, and motor function tests. (*The age at which the babies would have been born if they were not born early).
The lead author of the study Mandy Brown Belfort says, "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 maximize their ability to meet their own feeding goals. It's also important to note that there are so many factors that influence a baby's development, with breast milk being just one."
The study has its limitations and future research is required to provide more information, add the researchers.
The findings are published in The Journal of Pediatrics.
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