Came across this ref today. Someone was asking for refs indicating that bf
babies cried less. Why would 15 month old babies that were/had been bf be
more difficult?

Karleen Gribble
Australia


Authors
  Larson, Sandra K.  et al.
Title
  Outcome Differences between Breast-Fed and Bottle-Fed Infants.
Availability
  EDRS Availability:  Microfiche [1 card(s)], Paper.
Abstract
  DiPietro, Larson, and Porges (1987) found behavioral and physiological
  differences between breast-fed and bottle-fed newborns. It was suggested
that
  breast-feeding is associated with more optimal physiological organization
and
  with increased irritable reactivity early in the neonatal period. The
present
  study investigated whether breast-fed neonates' more optimal
physiological
  organization leads to more optimal development later in infancy. A total
of
  29 breast-fed and 15 bottle-fed infants who had participated in a newborn
  study were seen again at 15 months of age. During the assessment of
newborns,
  10 minutes of heart pattern and respiration data were collected and the
  Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale was administered. At 15 months, the
  Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the Infant Characteristics
  Questionnaire were administered. Findings revealed that breast-fed
infants
  scored significantly higher than bottle-fed infants on the Bayley Mental
  Development Index (MDI) at 15 months of age and tended to be rated as
more
  fussy-difficult-demanding by their parents at 15 months. The decision to
  breast-feed was related to outcome at both the newborn period and at 15
  months of age. Level of parent education and duration of breast-feeding
were
  not related to outcome. It is concluded that, insofar as the predictive
  influence of feeding style is largely accounted for by neonatal vagal
tone,
  that variable may mediate the observed developmental differences. (RH)

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