Research that Benefits Children and Families
A published research
article that provides positive examples of the effects of research on children
and/or families is the “Benefits of Breastfeeding” by the National Institute of
Child Health and Human Development. I chose this article because it interests
me since I have breastfeed both of my sons and plan on continuing to do so with
my daughter who will be born in August. I found this study to be of minimal
risk to children because they were not subjected to physical harm and children
either breastfeed or formula feed were still receiving the proper nutrition.
The article is divided into three sections: benefits to the infant, benefits to
the mother, and economic benefits. Some of the benefits to the infant include:
healthy meals at an early age, a decreased risk of SIDS/illnesses/infections/type
1 diabetes/allergic reactions, and physical/emotional bonds with the mother.
“Indirect evidence suggests that overweight and obesity occur less often among
children who were breastfed. In addition, research has shown a
connection between breastfeeding and better cognitive development in children
through school age” (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
2014, para 1). Some benefits to the mother are: increased weight loss after
birth, attachment benefits with infant, decreased amount of blood lost after
birth, and decreased risk of postpartum depression/health issues later on.
Economic benefits due to breastfeeding in the United States are: saving money
on formula, less doctor visits which will cost money, and allowing for parents
to take less time off work to attend to a sick child.
While researching a study
on the benefits of breastmilk I came across the University of Massachusetts
Breastmilk Lab’s website asking for breastmilk donations to conduct more
research. The website provided the goals of the research, the research
interests, and some of the recent studies that have been conducted. I enjoyed
reading the studies that have been conducted and what studies they are
considering. I found it interesting that women donate milk for a research study
because during my last nursing experience I donated to a milk bank for
premature babies that were in need. It was so rewarding knowing that infants in
need were using my milk for health reasons. I did not even think about donating
for research purposes. I had to fill out many forms, be interviewed, and have blood
work done before the bank would even accept my milk. I wonder if it is the same
when donating for research?
References
Arcaro. K. University
of Massachusetts Breastmilk Lab. Retrieved from http://www.breastmilkresearch.org/current-research-projects.html
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
(2014). What are the benefits of
breastfeeding? Retrieved from https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/breastfeeding/conditioninfo/pages/benefits.aspx
Staci,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting article. I personally did not breastfeed my son, and I always feel this is a hot button topic; and it's a personal decision if one chooses to or not to breast feed.
I know children in my class right now, who were breast fed and their immune systems are horrible because they are always out sick, having asthma attacks, and runny noses. On the other hand, my son was not breast fed and the only thing he has really bad is allergies. I think that in order to say a child who is developmentally advantage because they were breastfed versus a child who was formula fed, research would have to be done from birth to they get 18 years of age. Now that is some research I would like to see.
April Finny
There is a wealth of research out there weighing in on the benefits of breast milk and breastfeeding. I breastfed my daughter for 5 months, but supplemented the entire time because I did not produce enough milk. I did my own research and drank a lot of water, ate nutritious foods and even tried fenugreek, but my milk wasn't enough. The benefits of breast milk are wonderful, which is why I wanted my infant to get even the little I produced. I can testify to the weight loss after birth, although not true for all women. I too would love to see a study that examined at least 50 breastfed babies and 50 non breastfed babies from birth through high school to see how many times they were sick and how they excelled academically, etc... I would think this would have to be done with children from very similar socio economic backgrounds, etc... because as we know many factors play into a child's overall health and academic growth, e,g, poverty, access to healthcare, socio-economic status, culture, access to nutritious foods. For example, I don't know if it would be a fair or accurate study to compare wealthy breastfed children to poor non breastfed children or vice versa.
ReplyDelete