Karleen,
Here is the web site for the Scariati et al. paper that was in Pediatrics,
which was called, "A Longitudinal Analysis of Infant Morbidity and the Extent
of Breastfeeding in the United States." This study had a sample base of 2614
mother-infant pairs.
http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/99/6/e5
and the Raisler et al. study:
Breast-Feeding and Infant Illness: A Dose-Response Relationship? J. Raisler,
et al. American Journal of Public Health 89 (January 1999): 25-30.
Full breast-feeding in the first 6 months of life, without any other types of
feeding, protects against infant illness and provides the same health
benefits to all, regardless of income.
This study used regression techniques to analyze the association between
breast-feeding dose and illnesses in the first 6 months of life. Infants
(7,092) from the National Maternal and Infant Health Survey had their ratio
of breast-feedings to other feedings categorized as full, most, equal, less,
or no breast-feeding. Mothers were asked how many times a day they fed breast
milk, formula, cow’s milk, fruits or vegetable, cereal, and meat to their
infants during the first 6x months of life.
Full breast-feeding was practiced by 27 percent of mothers in month 1, almost
13 percent in month 3, and fewer than 2 percent in month six. Full
breast-feeding infants had lower odds ratios of diarrhea, cough or wheeze,
and vomiting, and lower mean ratios of illness months and sick baby medical
visits compared with infants who had not been breast-fed. Infants who were
mostly breast-fed also had lower odds ratio of cough and wheeze. Less
breast-fed infants had no reduced odds ratios of illness. Results were
similar for all economic classes."
I have never read or heard of the statement that "all a mother needs to
provide is 15 ml of breastmilk per feed in order to be giving her child all
the immunolgical benefits of breastfeeding," It sounds like something a
formula company would say, similiar to the common tale that made its rounds
in my neighborhood about 10 years ago--"Babies get all the breastmilk they
need in the first 5 minutes of feeding." I haven't heard a mother say this
in a long time.
I guess I am trying to figure out how researchers determined this "magic"
number and how this information will help mothers or LCs? If breastfeeding
was just immunology, but it certainly is more than immunology. It's more
than nutrition. I often think our science breaks things down to the point
that our understanding becomes senseless rather than enriched. Valerie W.
McClain, IBCLC
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