Breastfeeding Makes Teens Smarter

Breast is best for many reasons, but new research shows that it can affect a child well into their teenage years.

The British study compared over 10,000 children, who were matched for significant factors, such as maternal IQ and family circumstances. The only difference was whether or not the child was exclusively breastfed.

The intelligence of children who were nursed had between three to five higher IQ points than children who were given the bottle. The data showed an effect for children aged 5, 7, 11 and 14.

This study joins the others reminding women that we should breastfeed our kids. The health benefits are widely known, but the plethora of other circumstances surrounding the decision are not given nearly as much attention. One breast feeding session can take 45 minutes, and newborns must be fed 8 to 12 times a day — that is the equivalent of a full-time job.

Mothers must balance parenting, housework, career and their relationships, and it is impossible for them to devote all of their time and energy to one thing without sacrificing the others. The decision about how to feed their child is a personal one, and each family must make a decision about what is best for them.

What stops mothers from breastfeeeding is not a lack of understanding of the health benefits. What stops them are employers who get annoyed at constant bathroom breasts to pump, no one to teach them how to do it, people who “tsk” at breastfeeding in malls, husbands who make jokes about saggy boobs reaching maternal knees, and a general view in society that motherhood is to be revered, unless it infringes on anything else.

Until these issues are addressed, studies like this just feel like nagging.

Contact the author here: mick@morningquickie.com