In case you need more evidence that breastfeeding is best: Breast milk boosts premature babies’ mental and physical development, according to the results of a recent study.
“Our data support current recommendations for using mother’s milk to feed preterm babies during their neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization,” said Mandy Brown Belfort, M.D., study author and a pediatrician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, in a hospital news release.
The study followed 180 babies who were born before 30 weeks of gestation through age 7. Babies fed mostly breast milk during the first 28 days of life performed better on IQ, math and motor skills tests at age 7 than those who received less breast milk.
The research points to the necessity of breastfeeding support for new moms from hospitals, relatives, friends and employers.
“Many mothers of preterm babies have difficulty providing breast milk for their babies,” Dr. Belfort said in the release, “and we need to work hard to ensure that these mothers have the best possible support systems in place to maximize their ability to meet their own feeding goals.”
Rates of preterm babies have dropped in the United States, but they remain highest among black women.
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