Dear Joe, I suggest that you look at the following, very recent study. It suggests that not only breastfeeding itself - and therefore the interaction between the mother and child that you are emphasizing - but the kinds of the fats the mother takes during pregnancy and breastfeeding, affect a child's IQ. Hilary Jacobson http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12509593&dopt=Abstract Pediatrics 2003 Jan;111(1):e39-44 Maternal supplementation with very-long-chain n-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation augments children's IQ at 4 years of age. Helland IB, Smith L, Saarem K, Saugstad OD, Drevon CA. *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html