Not only must women watch what they eat and drink during pregnancy and breastfeeding, they must also be mindful of the drugs they take to treat common and not-so-common illnesses. This is made even more challenging by the fact that very little research is available on the use of drugs during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Evidence is mounting that the challenges of breastfeeding at work can have negative consequences for mother and baby. But new moms don’t have to choose between their career and their commitment to breastfeeding, thanks to new initiatives to support nursing in the workplace.
It could be time to add another item to the long list of the benefits of breastfeeding. A new study from Brown University and the University of Utah suggests that breastfeeding may help babies control their stress.
Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as DHA are essential nutrients required for normal health, growth and development. Increasing evidence shows that feeding infants breast milk with a higher DHA content improves their vision and neuro-development.
So, does educating mothers about the DHA levels in their milk have any impact on those levels? Numerous studies have found a link between maternal intake of DHA (through diet and supplements) and increased DHA levels in breast milk. A study in South Dakota examined 84 women who were educated about their DHA levels and looked at the resulting impact on the DHA levels in their milk.
Breastfeeding has long been known to positively impact the health and immune systems of babies, but now new research is uncovering the power of breastfeeding in helping to prevent long term illnesses including asthma, allergies, celiac disease, Type 1 diabetes and obesity.
The New York Times reports that many studies have strongly suggested that the trillions of microorganisms that inhabit the human body influence our current and future health and may account for the rising incidence of several serious medical conditions.
