More Than Just Nutrition: Breastfeeding and Its Vital Benefits for Mother and Child

Psychiatric disorders affect millions of people worldwide and have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Especially in crisis regions, but also in developed countries, many affected individuals suffer from stigmatization and societal neglect. While the management of mental health issues has increasingly come into focus, one often underestimated aspect of health is highlighted: the importance of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is not only an essential source of nutrition for babies, but it also plays a crucial role in promoting the physical and mental health of both mother and child.

Breastfeeding – A Protective Shield for Maternal Health

Breastfeeding offers numerous health benefits for mothers, particularly in terms of reducing the risk of postpartum depression. Postpartum depression affects a significant number of mothers with an incidence of 39%, but breastfeeding can help reduce the risk by strengthening the mother’s self-confidence and fostering a close emotional bond with the child. Hormones such as oxytocin and prolactin play a central role in this process.

Oxytocin, also known as the "bonding hormone," promotes feelings of safety and connection, reduces stress, and supports the perception of the child’s needs. This hormone helps the mother not only build emotional bonds with the child but also improves her ability to perceive and respond to the baby’s nonverbal signals. By increasing perception and better understanding the child's needs, the mother can more effectively respond to their emotional and physical needs.

Prolactin, which stimulates milk production, also has a calming effect on the mother. It strengthens her maternal instincts and encourages soothing behaviors like holding and cuddling the child. These hormonal reactions are not only crucial for breastfeeding but also for the mother’s mental well-being by providing emotional stability and a greater sense of control.

Moreover, breastfeeding mothers report experiencing less anxiety and stress compared to mothers who use formula feeding. These subjective reports are supported by objective physiological measurements, which show that breastfeeding mothers are more relaxed. For example, they have better heart rate variability, lower blood pressure, and reduced stress reactions, indicating a calmer physiological state. Additionally, the cortisol response to social stress is reduced in breastfeeding mothers.

For the Child: Closeness, Security, and Optimal Nutrition

Breastfeeding offers a unique combination of closeness, security, and optimal nutrition for the child. The skin-to-skin contact between mother and child activates natural reflexes that facilitate sucking and feeding. This closeness not only promotes the physical well-being of the child but also has far-reaching emotional benefits. A key aspect of this is the eye contact between mother and child during breastfeeding, which occurs more frequently in breastfeeding mothers than in bottle-fed infants. This eye contact strengthens the mother-child bond and helps the child feel secure and understood. Breastfeeding mothers interact more frequently with their infants and are more attentive.

At the same time, this closeness promotes emotional regulation in the child and helps develop a deep sense of security. There is evidence that eye contact during breastfeeding triggers positive neurobiological reactions in the child’s brain, which may contribute to more stable emotional and social development in the long term. Over time, these experiences help breastfed children develop a secure attachment style, meaning that they are better able to self-soothe and interact with others in later years. They often develop greater social competence and a stronger sense of trust in their environment.

Intellectual and Cognitive Benefits

In addition to emotional and physical benefits, breastfeeding also provides significant cognitive advantages. Breastfed children show improved memory, advanced language development, and stronger problem-solving skills compared to bottle-fed children. Particularly prolonged and frequent breastfeeding in the first year of life has long-term positive effects on the intellectual development of the child.

This can be attributed to specific nutrients in breast milk, such as long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), which are essential for the growth and myelination of nerve cells. These nutrients support brain development and are particularly important during the first 18 months of life, as they promote the development of brain structures responsible for cognitive and social abilities.

Modern research methods such as electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirm these findings. EEG studies have shown that the myelination of nerve cells - a critical process for brain development - lasts longer in breastfed children. This extended myelination phase suggests more intense brain maturation. MRI studies, in turn, have shown that breastfed children have larger brain volume and thicker brain cortices, particularly in areas associated with higher cognitive and social functions, such as the frontal and temporal lobes.

Influence of Breastfeeding on Social Information Processing

Breastfeeding also affects how children process social information. Breastfed infants show heightened attention to positive emotional cues, such as happy faces, while they react less to negative cues, such as anxious or angry faces. These differences in emotional processing result from the interaction between genetic factors and the experience of breastfeeding. A key factor here is the oxytocin system. Hormonal differences contribute to breastfed children responding more intensely to positive emotional stimuli and exhibiting improved social information processing.

Breastfeeding and the Development of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

Some evidence suggests that children who were not or only briefly breastfed may have a higher risk of developing autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This is linked to the absence of colostrum—the first, nutrient-rich milk that strengthens the baby’s immune system. However, there are also perspectives that question a direct link between breastfeeding and the onset of ASD. Early childhood behaviors that affect later ASD diagnoses may also impact the infant’s ability to breastfeed, making it difficult to establish a clear causal connection between breastfeeding and ASD.

Sleep: A Central Factor for the Health of Mother and Child

Breastfeeding also influences the sleep habits of both mother and child. It has been found that breastfeeding mothers typically get 2.6 hours more sleep than mothers who bottle-feed. These sleep benefits are particularly important, as sleep deprivation is associated with a higher likelihood of postpartum depression. Studies have shown that mothers who breastfeed at night experience less sleep loss than those who rely on formula feeding.

A lack of sleep, especially during the night, can significantly impair the physical and emotional health of the mother and increase the risk of postpartum depression. Breastfeeding helps reduce this sleep loss by fostering a closer bond between mother and child, stabilizing the sleep cycle and calming the mother.

Furthermore, there is a close connection between sleep and milk production. Research shows that adequate deep sleep is associated with increased prolactin levels, which support lactogenesis - the initiation of milk production. Breastfeeding mothers experience significantly longer periods of deep sleep, which is attributed to hormonal changes in the body. These hormonal fluctuations not only promote milk production but also stabilize the mother’s mental well-being.

Conclusion: Breastfeeding as a Foundation for Long-Term Health

The benefits of breastfeeding go far beyond basic nutrition. It is a fundamental contribution to the physical and mental health of both mother and child. Breastfeeding promotes not only the child’s physical development and growth but also strengthens the emotional bond between mother and child, reduces the risk of postpartum depression, and supports cognitive development. It is essential to emphasize the importance of breastfeeding in public health and in supporting mothers to enhance long-term health and well-being for both mothers and their children.

Breastfeeding plays a central role in promoting healthy family dynamics and laying the foundation for a stable and healthy future. It is more than just a method of nutrition; breastfeeding is a key element in ensuring the healthy, happy, and successful development of both mother and child.

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