If you think it’s not important to start breastfeeding the newborn while still in the hospital, think again.
New research shows that babies exclusively fed breast milk during hospitalization shortly after birth had a 22% lower likelihood of developing asthma in early childhood.
The results, which will be presented on Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Orlando, Florida, remained significant even after adjustments for maternal race, health insurance, baby’s sex, and length of hospital stay.
“Although hospitalization at birth lasts only a few days, it establishes a critical foundation for breastfeeding, which can influence health outcomes such as childhood asthma,” said the study’s author, Dr. Laura Placke Ward, co-director of the Center for Breastfeeding Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
“Our study highlights the importance of hospital practices in supporting exclusive breastfeeding, as these early experiences can impact long-term health,” she added in a press release from the meeting.
While longer periods of exclusive breastfeeding are known to reduce the risk of asthma, the benefits of breastfeeding immediately after birth and before the mother and baby leave the hospital are less understood, the study authors noted.
“Breast milk is the ideal nutrition for newborns, and breastfed babies have a reduced risk of developing many childhood illnesses, including asthma,” the researchers said. “Studies have shown that longer periods of exclusive breastfeeding provide greater protection against asthma, but few studies have assessed the impact of feeding patterns in the birth hospital on childhood asthma.”
In the most recent study, 81% of the 9,649 newborns received some breast milk while in the hospital, while 31% received exclusively breast milk. In total, 5% were later diagnosed with asthma.
Babies who received only breast milk had a lower rate of asthma diagnosis compared to those who did not receive breast milk or who did not receive exclusively breast milk in the first days. Additionally, babies whose first feeding was breast milk also had a lower rate of asthma compared to those whose first feeding was not breast milk.
“This finding underscores the need for greater emphasis on supporting and promoting exclusive breastfeeding in the first days of life,” Ward said. “By focusing on these crucial early days, we can impact children’s health and potentially reduce the risk of chronic conditions like asthma.”
As these results were presented at a medical meeting, they should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Source: www.usnews.com