Breastfeeding Benefits
Breastfeeding
Many parents ask the question, "what are some things that I can do to help 'boost' my child's immune system? Regardless of a parent's vaccine decision for their child, one of the best things a mother can provide for her child is breastfeeding.
Protects Against Infection
— Diarrhea
— Haemophilus Influenza
— Necrotizing enternal colitis
— Ear Infections
— Respiratory Syncytical Virus (RSV)
— Respiratory Infections
Protection against:
— Wheezing
— Multiple Sclerosis
— Allergies
— Eczema
— Diabetes Mellitus
— Gastroesophageal Reflux
— Cancer
— SIDS
— Chron’s Disease
— Hodgkin’s Disease
— Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Further Benefits:
— Immunological development
— Infant Survival
— Higher IQ
— Improved Cognitive Development
— Better Social Development
— Better jaw alignment (prevents malocclusion)
— Many benefits for Mom’s health as well!
Breastfeeding - Immunity Study
Study Shows How Breastfeeding Transfers Immunity to Babies
- For years before her pregnancy, cells that produce antibodies against intestinal infections travel around a woman’s circulatory system as if it were a highway and regularly take an "off-ramp" to her intestine
- There they stand ready to defend against infections such as cholera or rotavirus.
- But once she begins lactating, some of these same antibody-producing cells suddenly begin taking a different "off-ramp," so to speak, that leads to the mammary glands.
- That way, when her baby nurses, the antibodies go straight to his intestine and offer protection while he builds up his own immunity.
- Understanding the role of the molecule, called CCR10, also has implications for potential future efforts to help mothers better protect their infants
One would think that we could take from this article how amazing the immune system is and how important it is to breastfeed, however, one of the researchers concluded:
"This tells us that this molecule is extremely important, so if we want to design a vaccine for the mother so she could effectively pass protective antibodies to the child, it would be absolutely essential to induce high levels of CCR10," said Wilson.