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Breastfeeding reduces risk of developing asthma-related symptoms
This study, of a cohort of 5,358 children, examined the associations of breastfeeding duration and exclusiveness with the risks of asthma-related symptoms in preschool children, and to explore whether these associations are explained by atopic or infectious mechanisms.
Compared to children who were breastfed for 6 months, those who were never breastfed had overall increased risks of wheezing, shortness of breath, dry cough and persistent phlegm during the first four years (Odds ratios 1.44 (95% Confidence Interval: 1.24, 1.66), 1.26 (1.07, 1.48), 1.25 (1.08, 1.44) and 1.57 (1.29, 1.91), respectively). Similar associations were observed for exclusive breastfeeding.
Shorter duration and non-exclusivity of breastfeeding were associated with increased risks of asthma-related symptoms in preschool children.
Duration and exclusiveness of breastfeeding and childhood asthma-related symptoms. AMM Sonnenschein-van der Voort, V.V.W. Jaddoe, RJP van der Valk, SP Willemsen, A Hofman, HA Moll, JC de Jongste, and L Duijts. Eur. Respir. J. published 20 July 2011, 10.1183/09031936.00178110
More research on breastfeeding and asthma
Scholtens S, Wijga AH, Kerkhof M et al (2009) Breastfeeding, parental allergy and asthma in children followed for 8 years. The PIAMA birth cohort study Thorax;64:604-609; doi:10.1136/thx.2007.094938
WH Oddy, JL Sherriff, NH de Klerk, GE Kendall, PD Sly, LJ Beilin, KB Blake, LI Landau, and FJ Stanley. The relation of breastfeeding and body mass index to asthma and atopy in children: a prospective cohort study to age 6 years. Am J Public Health, 2004; 94: 1531-7
Frenotomy for infants with tongue tie improves breastfeeding ability and maternal nipple pain
The purpose of this 12-month study was to determine whether frenotomy for infants with ankyloglossia (tongue tie) improved maternal nipple pain and ability to breastfeed. A secondary objective was to determine whether frenotomy improved the length of breastfeeding.
Neonates who had difficulty breastfeeding and significant ankyloglossia were enrolled in this randomised, single-blinded, controlled trial and assigned to either a frenotomy (30 infants) or a sham procedure (28 infants). Breastfeeding was assessed by a pre-intervention and post-intervention nipple-pain scale and the Infant Breastfeeding Assessment Tool. The same tools were used at the 2-week follow-up and regularly scheduled follow-ups over a 1-year period. The infants in the sham group were given a frenotomy before or at the 2-week follow-up if it was desired.
Both groups demonstrated statistically significantly decreased pain scores after the intervention. The frenotomy group improved significantly more than the sham group (P < .001). Breastfeeding scores significantly improved in the frenotomy group (P = .029) without a significant change in the control group. All but 1 parent in the sham group elected to have the procedure performed when their infant reached 2 weeks of age, which prevented additional comparisons between the 2 groups.
The authors conclude that when frenotomy is performed for clinically significant ankyloglossia, there is a clear and immediate improvement in reported maternal nipple pain and infant breastfeeding scores. They recommend additional research should be done to determine the optimal timing of frenotomy and the ideal screening tool to detect significant ankyloglossia.
Efficacy of Neonatal Release of Ankyloglossia: A Randomized Trial. Melissa Buryk, David Bloom, and Timothy Shope. Pediatrics. published 18 July 2011, 10.1542/peds.2011-0077
More research on tongue tie
Hogan M, Westcott C and Griffiths M (2005). Randomized, controlled trial of division of tongue-tie in infants with feeding problems. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 41: 246. 1
Griffiths DM (2004). Do tongue ties affect breastfeeding? J Hum Lact 20: 409-14.
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