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Answer
Breastmilk is a very complex substance. Since breastfeeding is what nature intended, its more correct to say that formula feeding increases SIDS, rather than that breastfeeding decreases it. But anyway... breastmilk is complex, like I said, so the answer to this question is also complex!
8 REASONS BREASTFEEDING REDUCES SIDS
Whether it is the milk, the mother, or the method that is responsible for the lower SIDS risk in the breastfed infant is hard to tell. It's probably a combination of all three.
THE MILK
There are hundreds of substances in human milk that aren't in artificial milk. These cannot be manufactured or bought; they can only be made by mother. Each year researchers discover new factors in human milk that are beneficial to baby. I suspect that researchers have only scratched the surface of what amazing factors exist in human milk. The following is what we know. What is even more intriguing is what we do not yet know about how human milk benefits human babies in general and how it lowers the risk of SIDS in particular.
1. Breastmilk fights against infection. Respiratory and gastrointestinal infections contribute to the SIDS risk, and breastfeeding infants get fewer respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Breastfeeding protects against RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) infections, and this virus has been implicated in causing inflammation of the lungs that could contribute to SIDS.
Between two and six months of age (which, you'll recall, is also the peak period of SIDS risk), a baby's immunity is lowest and the vulnerability to infection is highest. The newborn baby derives much of his immunity from his mother's antibodies while in the womb. After birth these antibodies gradually disappear. Meanwhile, baby is making his own antibodies, so that by age six to nine months he is more capable of defending himself against infection. Between two and six months, when the antibodies derived prenatally from mother are at low levels and baby has not yet made enough of his own, the immunity factors in breastmilk fill in, taking over where the placenta left off and protecting the baby while his own immune system matures.
One of the ways in which breastmilk protects the infection-vulnerable infant is through the enteromammary immune system. When mother is exposed to a new germ, glands in her intestine make infection-fighting cells specifically for this germ. These special cells travel through her bloodstream to her breasts, where they announce the presence of the enemy germ. The breast glands respond by manufacturing antibodies, which are delivered to the baby through the milk. Because she can make new antibodies better and more quickly than her tiny baby can, mother updates her baby's immunity with every feeding. Would it be presumptuous to call breastmilk a SIDS vaccine? Read on.
2. Breastmilk builds better brains. "MOTHER'S MILK: FOOD FOR SMARTER KIDS." This was the headline in USA Today on February 2, 1992. While both experience and research have long suggested that breastfed babies are intellectually advantaged, the difference has usually been attributed more to the nurturing or to the character of the mother than to the type of milk. But new research suggests that it's human milk itself rather than (or in addition to) the process of breastfeeding (or the skills of the mother) that enhances brain growth. Brain-building substances and elements called "growth factors" have recently been discovered in human milk. Researchers in England studied three hundred babies who were very premature and weighed less than four pounds, a group that is at high risk for SIDS. They divided their subjects into two groups: those who were fed their mother's milk and those who were not. Because of their prematurity, these infants received the milk by tube rather than directly from the mother's breasts, thereby separating the effects of the milk from the effects of the nurturing. Those premature babies who got their mother's milk during the first five or six weeks of life averaged 8.3 points higher on IQ tests at age seven-and-a-half to eight years. Also significant in this study was that the more breastmilk the babies received, the higher these children scored. Since this study, over eleven more studies have concluded that breastfeeding builds better brains.
Why does human milk build better brains? Special nutrients in human milk that are not in artificial baby milks may be the answer. Human milk contains substances (such as cholesterol, linolenic acid, and taurine) that enhance the development of the central nervous system in several ways, the most convincing of which is that it provides vital fats, namely DHA for myelin, the insulating sheath around nerves that helps impulses travel faster. (Postmortem examinations have shown deficient myelinationâthe covering around nerves that lets impulses travel fasterâin the nerves around the respiratory control center in some infants who died of SIDS). These areas show changes that could be the result of delayed development and/or oxygen deprivation. So vital are these brain builders that if a mother's milk is short on these special nutrients, the mammary glands themselves make and deposit them into her milk. Although myelination continues well into early childhood, the greatest degree of myelination occurs during the first six months of life.
3. Breastmilk is kinder to tiny airways. Besides reducing respiratory infections that clog baby's air passages, breastfeeding also helps keep little airways open by not exposing them to the allergens in foreign milk. Stuffy noses and airways and recurrent respiratory-tract infections are frequent signs of allergies to artificial milk made from cow's milk or bean milk (such as soy). Breastfeeding helps breathing in two ways: by helping the brain systems that control breathing to mature, and by helping to keep tiny air passages open. It is also interesting to note that breastfeeding infants have higher blood levels of the hormone progesterone, and progesterone stimulates breathing. In summary, babies who get breastmilk breath better.
As a final perk, even if human milk goes down the wrong pipe and enters baby's lungs, it does not irritate the lungs as much as formula can. Human milk is not a foreign substance. Also, studies on experimental animals have shown that the introduction of water or cow's milk into the upper trachea (the beginning of the airway) can lead to apnea. This did not occur when normal saline (a physiological solution similar to the infant's own blood) or the species' own milk was squirted into the trachea. These researchers concluded that aspiration of water or foreign milk may cause a stop-breathing episode in infants, a life-threatening episode that might not occur if mother's milk accidentally goes down the wrong way.
4. Breastfeeding reduces reflux. Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is less severe in breastfed infants than in infants fed artificial baby milks, probably due to the fact that human milk is emptied faster from the stomach. Since GER has been implicated in apparent life-threatening events (ALTEs) and ALTEs may be a forerunner of SIDS, reducing GER could also reduce SIDS.
5. Breastfeeding promotes safer sleep.
6. Breastfeeding organizes baby. I believe that an important piece of the SIDS puzzle is that some babies at risk of SIDS have an overall "disorganized physiology." Breastfeeding has a calming effect on a baby. The harmony between a breastfeeding mother and her suckling infant has an organizing effect on baby's sleep/wake cycles, probably as a result of the cue-response sensitivity of the breastfeeding pair.
THE MOTHER
Not only does breastmilk have protective qualities for baby, breastfeeding does good things for mother, which indirectly may reduce the risk of SIDS.
7. Breastfeeding increases mother's awareness. Breastfeeding is an exercise in babyreading. It increases the sensitivity of a mother to any changes in her baby. The increased maternal hormones (primarily prolactin and oxytocin) that are stimulated by baby's sucking appear to provide a biological basis for the concept of mother's intuition. During my 30 years of watching mothers and babies, I have been impressed by the increased sensitivity breastfeeding mothers have toward their babies. They're able to read subtle cues and changes in their infants. Cindy, a breastfeeding mother, told me: "I can tell when my baby has an ear infection by the way she sucks." Breastfeeding mothers tend to sleep with their babies, a nighttime parenting style that I believe decreases SIDS risk. A breastfeeding mother also sleeps differently than her formula-feeding friends. She may be more aware of changes in her baby, even while they both are sleeping. (See Co-sleeping and SIDS)
Can formula-feeding mothers attain this high level of sensitivity to their babies? I suspect they can, especially if they practice the rest of the attachment-parenting package, such as sharing sleep and wearing their baby. Yet without the hormonal boost that breastfeeding provides, bottle-feeding mothers have to work harder at developing this heightened awareness.
THE METHOD
Besides the good stuff in breastmilk and the act of breastfeeding itself with its increased "touch time," the way an infant breastfeeds may also lower the risk of SIDS.
8. Breastmilk improves breathing/swallowing coordination. Newborns have to learn to coordinate breathing and swallowing during feeding. For premature infants (those at highest risk for SIDS), this is a gradual learning process. Studies show that premature babies who breastfeed coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing more efficiently than do their bottlefeeding mates. Breastfeeders also tend to feed more frequently than their bottlefeeding
Why do Americans know nothing about Russia?
Ruslan
i am an American living in Russia. what "BAD" is in the media? if you are p riot and desecrate a church, you go to prison? in my opinion, that is not bad.
Putin is a bad president? who said so? Garry Kasparov? when did Gingrinch say anything nice about Clinton? or Pelosi say a nice word about Mitt?
Putin has calmed a lot of violence from terrorists (USA calls them "freedom fighters") is the KKK a "freedom fighter" group, also?
so living in Russia...
Russians don't care much to talk politics, it is useless. if you hate or love President Obama and your neighbor is opposite, will you RANTING your opinion really CHANGE him?
living in Russia...
we eat every day- we shop for food every day. fresh food- much made in local plants. almost every city has a meat (beef/pork) sausage plant, poultry plant, beer, vodka, candy, bakery, and dairy plant.
every Russian produced food product (canned, packaged) has area (like a state) city or village name, and address. you KNOW where it comes FROM.
we go to events for our schools, performances by children or by professionals. childre walk at all hours of the day because school mat start at 9 for some, 8 for others, 12.30 still others... THEN there is music school-usually for serious students with a music-profession intent; and sport schools, art schools, performing art schools, etc. and children find themselves independent of "soccer-mom and her suv because cities are compact and most places are within walking distance. Moscow and SPB of course are different, but 130 million people DON'T live in those two...
people work in jobs as they do anywhere. it is not uncommon to have tea and coffee provided by "the boss" while you work. at new year or other signifivane holidays, it is not impossible to find champaign (or other alcoholic drink) at a school, business, or parent's gathering- for the adults only, of course.
driving... a horror and the absolute opposite. if you drive teh speed limit, many drivers will pass you. on hills, with oncoming traffic, stc. they will make a 4-lane out of a slim (on USA standards) two lane. if you see a truck or bus (always slow) oncoming, expect to see a car passing it, even if YOU are being passed.
every idea of a building in a city is being repaired or built anew. churches to shopping centers.
if you have a baby, the doctor will visit you at home, every day for a month. she will remove her boots at your door, as no one wears shoes INTO the flat.
living in Russia...
since traditionally, children are revered as the future, some Russians are appalled at the careless deaths of adopted Russian children. some Russians can get free in vitro fertilisaton if they have problems conceiving a child. surrogate mothers are in high demand. children ARE highly revered.
freedom? like can you speak against the government? with permits and places allowing such activities, yes, you can make a fool of yourself, as most Russians just prefer to live, work, get paid, have babies and love their families and ignore "freedoms" a freedom Putin is fighting for is visa-free travel for Russians to Europe and USA. much money changes hands in visas, so it is a truly uphill battle.
bad? cities are laid out so residents don't realy need a car. you are free of the burden of a car. it is a great convenience (albiet expensive) as gas is the same as USA, but wages ARE LOWER. that is almost meaningless when you compare costs of living. virtually NO ONE has a mortgage. a teacher far from Moscow makes 18,000 rubles- $600 a month and can save a bit here and there to travel to places like China, Thailand, and Vietnam. or anywhere in Europe. Russians love to travel.
it is very interesting here. 21 years here have not bored me yet. i am always happier on an east bound flight then west bound- returning to USA, but i do love Texas' hot summers. we have snow here nov to end of april! and a lot of shovelling to open the garage to get out the car. i'd rather WALK!
Answer
I am an American, but I have lived in Moldova and frequently visited Russia, especially Kemerovo and Moscow. US citizens were heavily indoctrinated against the USSR/Russia. Their ignorance
is not limited to Russia, but to much of the world. Civics is basically ignored in the USA, and the
history of Russia is made even worser because Americans were indoctrinated deliberatly to have
Russia as its psychological enemy. To this day, and sadly tomorrow, the USA has a profound psychological need for an enemy. Today the USA is engaged in what Bush and Rumsfeld referred to as the war to replace the Cold War. They even called it a 'never ending war' to replace the Cold War.
Their very words could have been written by George Orwell himself, and in a sense they were already written so. Gorbachev remarked 'We are about to do something very cruel to the USA; we are going to remove its enemy.' Those words have truely been prophetic.
Putin is not my favorite president, but I respect him. I also know that European and US generated polls conducted in Russia prior to Putin's re-election agreed basically with the margin of victory he received in the elections. The US media did not even cover his reelection celebration or show the 1000's of his supporters cheering in the street. Americans do not comprehend that more than 40 political parties are represented in its government. The US senate is basically 98% White Male Millionaire Lawyers over age 60 who have conservative capitalist beliefs, who are representives of only 2 political parties that have made it legally practicaqlly impossible to have an open multiparty system where more diverse views are allowed a participatory govt.
I have seen Putin's yearly speech to the nation where answers many pointed questions from many people - not staged questions as is the case among US candidates - but tough questions. I have seen more democracy in today's Russia than I have seen in the USA. There is a strong police presence in the USA. There is racial tension in the USA. There's a kind of Stalinist Political Correctness in the USA on just about any and all issues that are of an intellectual or serious nature.
In regard to P-Riot, I would like to see P-Riot free, but I also understand they broke the law. They are an anarchist group and I saw how 'anarchist groups' have been treated in the USA. I remember Kent State and I remember that Abbie Hoffman was arrested over 40 times and repeatedly beaten by the US police.
Putin has stated his concerns about Guantanamo - and he asked 'Can you imagine what the US govt. would say about us if we ran a camp like Guantanamo ?' The only concentration camp in Cuba is on land stolen from Cuba called Guantanamo; it is run by the USA whio has formally acknowledged a policy of torturing prisoners. Yes, in Russia, physicians still make housecalls. People walk to work or take a bus. There is a feeling of more safety on the streets and there is less of a police presence. The USA has per capita a larger prison population than Russia's.
I like stepping into a church off the street in Russia, lighting a candle and making the sign of the cross.
I like the peacefulness of the lifestyle there - the family values. I also like stepping into a nice restaurant where there are violins and being able to dance with my wife rather just sit around and eat
like some pig. I have access to full media and internet services in Russia as well as Moldova, and
there is much less censorship. Most censorship in the USA is self-censored and there are in fact planted anti-Russian stories, especially in AP and REUTERS. Even Fox this last year was caught identifying Greek demonstrators in Greece as being Russians in Moscow. I've seen GUILTY Americans constantly apprehended in Russia for spying. Fox News when the USA invaded Iraq was hysterically reporting rumors of 'Russian Night Vision Goggles' that didn't exist. The USA has a major log in its eye, and is in perpetual war.
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