Hi Julie,

I haven't yet searched for such a study, but a photograph used by UNICEF for many years quickly comes to mind.  

The image was of two mothers sitting side-by-side, feeding their babies.  The mother on the viewer's right was nursing her baby, actively engaged with her baby while nursing, and appeared delighted by her baby.  The mother on the left was bottle-feeding her baby, who was not held nearly as close as the breastfed baby was being held by the mother on the viewer's right, and the bottle-feeding mother appeared unhappy as she looked at the obviously happy nursing dyad.  If memory serves, the Riordan & Auerbach text used this image in one or more of their earlier editions.  I need to look at the current Wambach & Riordan edition to see if it's still used in that text, Breastfeeding and Human Lactation.  Such a wonderful photograph - - I wonder how the bottle-feeding dyad's lives would have been different if they had been in need of skilled care in breastfeeding and human lactation, and had access to such care.     

I would love to see a study comparing the number of minutes spent making eye contact between each member of actively feeding nursing dyads, and comparing this to the number of minutes spent making eye contact between each member of actively feeding bottle-feeding dyads.  Over the years, I have often observed bottle-feeding mothers and other bottle-feeding parents and caregivers who do make eye contact with their babies at the beginning of a bottle-feeding, but often quickly look bored, checking the bottle periodically to see how the emptying-the-bottle process is transpiring.  

When babies are at the breast, there is often the luxury of time to spend looking at the baby during the feed.  I imagine this extensive gazing between the members of the dyad enhances and facilitates their bonding.  


This 2018 study found decreased odds of maltreatment of those who were breastfed, including neglect and sexual abuse: 

Title:  Breastfeeding is associated with decreased childhood maltreatment.

In:  Breastfeeding Medicine 2018 Jan/Feb;13(1):18-22. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2017.0105. Epub 2017 Nov 10.

Authors:  Kremer KP, Kremer TR.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29125322


With kind regards,

Debbie

Debra Swank, RN BSN IBCLC
Program Director
More Than Reflexes Education
Ocala, Florida USA
http://www.MoreThanReflexes.org
      

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