BREAST-FEEDING MAKES NEW MOTHERS FEARLESS ..PROTECT THEIR YO

[Daanyeer]

Breast-feeding makes new mothers fearless so they protect their young like grizzly bears

By Sophie Borland

2nd September 2011



Don't mess with a woman who breast-feeds her children – for she's likely to turn into a 'mother bear'.

Scientists believe those who nurse their babies are fearlessly protective of their offspring in a similar manner to female grizzlies.

They have more courage and are better at defending themselves than those who give their babies formula milk – or who do not have a child.

In what is thought to be the first study of its kind on humans, researchers have shown that breast-feeding helps dampen a woman's fear by lowering her blood pressure and changing levels of hormones.

They say the effect – known as 'maternal defence' – is very similar to that seen used by female bears, lions, deer and even hamsters to fearlessly protect their young from predators.

Although women will probably never need to defend their babies like animals in the wild, researchers say this courage helps them better cope with the stresses of being a mother.

Scientists studied nearly 60 women, a third of whom were breast-feeding, a third who were bottle-feeding and a third who did not have children.

Each was asked to compete in a computer challenge against one of the scientists, who was behaving deliberately rudely while the woman's child – if she had one – was in an adjoining room.

If the woman won, she was allowed to press a button to make a sound blast to the loser as an act of aggression.

She could press the button as hard and for as long as she liked.

The scientists found that the breast-feeding mothers made sounds twice as loud and long as the other women.
The results were the same in tests carried out both before and after the breast-feeding mothers nursed their infants.

The study also measured the women's blood pressure and those who were breast-feeding had readings ten points lower than those who were feeding formula and 12 points lower than non-mothers.
Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook, of the University of California, who led the research, said: 'Breast-feeding has many benefits for a baby's health and immunity, but it seems to also have a little-known benefit for the mother.
'It may be providing new mothers with a buffer against the many stresses they face while at the same time, giving mothers an extra burst of courage if they need to defend themselves or their child.

'Breast-feeding mothers aren't going to go out and get into bar fights, but if someone is threatening them or their infant, our research suggests they may be more likely to defend themselves in an aggressive manner.'

The latest NHS figures show that more than 80 per cent of British women breast-feed for at least the first six weeks, up from 62 per cent ten years ago.

The increase follows extensive Whitehall 'breast is best' campaigns promoting its benefits over bottle milk.

Breast-feeding transfers a mother's immunities to her baby, helping to protect it from chest and ear infections, eczema and stomach bugs.

Studies have also shown that it helps babies' brain development and reduces their chance of becoming obese when they grow up.


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