Breastfeeding Benefits Related Articles & Blog Posts

Interestingly, babies tend to suck more vigorously when a new flavor is introduced into their mothers’ diet (even if the mothers don’t notice the change in nursing, researchers can measure it). The babies’ bodies seem eager to learn new flavors. When that flavor has been repeated a few times, nursing returns to normal, suggesting that [...]

I remember, not long ago, seeing many children with ear infections every day I was in the office – children that were often up screaming the night before. Today it’s not surprising to go an entire day in clinic without seeing a single one. Visits to doctors’ offices for ear infections more than doubled between [...]

A new Harvard analysis has calculated what we could accomplish if 90 percent of babies drank only breast milk for the first six months of life. The starting point for this analysis was a group of ten conditions identified by the lead Federal agency charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of our [...]

Join me in support of California Bill SB 797. My three minute speech at the State Capitol starts 4 minutes into the rally video.  Actress and environmentalist, Amy Smart speaks next.

Like other pediatricians across the United States, today I received an E-Breaking News Alert from the American Academy of Pediatrics concerning news about bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in many hard plastic products (including baby bottles and sippy cups) and in the lining of many metal cans (including cans of infant or toddler formula).

Getting plenty of DHA, one of the important omega-3 fats found in breast milk, could help to prevent allergies, asthma, and eczema in young children. Dr. Eileen Birch, who has previously studied links between DHA and improved mental and visual development, followed 89 formula-fed children who received formula with or without DHA included.

I received a letter expressing concern that some babies do not tolerate formula with added DHA/ARA and that parents are not aware of this possibility. DHA and ARA are important fatty acids, present naturally in breast milk and added to many formulas. About 4 million babies are born in the U.S. each year. Over the last [...]

You know that it is wise to back up your computer’s hard drive; I recommend backing up your child’s food drive with a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement. This simple habit could improve your child’s health and even intelligence. I’ll explain briefly why I feel strongly about this:

In the modern United Kingdom, about 12 percent of all normal, healthy, full-term babies are hospitalized at least once in their first 8 months of life. Many of these hospitalizations are for pneumonia, bronchiolitis, or other chest infections; many are for diarrhea or other gastroenteritis.  How big a difference might breastfeeding make in preventing these [...]

Today in the United States, 1 in 6 children suffers from  a disability that affects their behavior, memory, or ability to learn. More than  $80 billion dollars are spent each year in the U.S. to treat neurodevelopmental  disorders. Diagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity  Disorder (ADHD) alone up are up 250% since 19901. How much of [...]