Breastfeeding Child Development

Words: 1755
Pages: 8

In this cohort study published in the Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology journal, medical researchers conducted a study on mothers, before and after birth, questioning their feeding rituals while also observing the neuropsychological development of their child (Julvez et al., 2013). This population-based study involved 657 pregnant women that were patients of a clinic in Sabadell, Catalonia, Spain. Researchers then reviewed the neuropsychological condition of the women’s children at four years of age. This article focused primarily on the research behind the speculative correlations between a child’s developmental performance and their feeding routine. Moreover, the performance levels of individuals were tested in the verbal, perception, …show more content…
This group of individuals aimed to provide clarity and accuracy on the ways in which breastfeeding can affect a child’s growth and development by adding studies of their own to previous literature. The group assembled and completed sixteen additional studies to the previously existing nineteen studies. In order to ensure accuracy and to help solidify the conclusions of the various studies conducted, samples were taken from numerous countries. Moreover, countries such as Africa, India, Australia, Finland, Brazil, the United States, and many more were analyzed within this article. Researchers used those in trusted leadership roles (e.g. doctors, medical practitioners, volunteer community health staff, and those employed in health facilities) to encourage the promotion of breastfeeding in mothers. Continually, the children of the mothers who were persuaded to breastfeed their children then provided data in the form of physical development. Measurements of a child’s weight, length/height, and BMI were collected from the breastfed children and ultimately led to the results of the study. Both the original researchers and review researches came to the same conclusion that there is not a strong correlation between breastfeeding and the improved development of a …show more content…
A group of researchers created a prospective longitudinal study that involved the data collection of a child’s development at six-month intervals beginning at birth. Pediatricians, psychologists, and nutritionist’s followed a standardized method of data collection while both interviewing the mother and observing the child. Researchers within this study were definite in their attempts to isolate all foreseeable variables that may have altered the results of the study. Moreover, factors such as the gender of the baby, the gestational age, the method of delivery, the baby’s apgar score, and the health condition of the mother were all considered significant variables and were noted clearly throughout the study. It was noted that the study assessed a total of 154 infants at the first interval and a total of 136 infants at the second interval as a small sample drop out rate surfaced. To illustrate the most accurate results, participants collected data involving the physical, psychological, internal and external conditions of the child. The data collected throughout the study suggested that breastfeeding (for at least four months) will positively impact the development of a child by increasing their overall development across their