Another Reason For Breast Feeding Over Formula

Background The sources and the impact of maternal bacteria on the initial inoculum of the intestinal microflora of newborn infants remain elusive.

Objective To assess the association between maternal breast-milk and fecal bifidobacteria and infants' fecal bifidobacteria.

Methods Sixty-one mother–infant pairs were included, special emphasis being placed on the maternal allergic status. Bifidobacteria were analysed by a direct PCR method in fecal samples from mothers at 30–35 weeks of gestation and from infants at 1 month of age and from breast-milk samples 1 month post-partum.

Conclusions Breast-milk contains significant numbers of bifidobacteria and the maternal allergic status further deranges the counts of bifidobacteria in breast-milk. Maternal fecal and breast-milk bifidobacterial counts impacted on the infants' fecal Bifidobacterium levels. Breast-milk bacteria should thus be considered an important source of bacteria in the establishment of infantile intestinal microbiota.

What does this mean?
New mothers have one of the greatest challenges known; to care for a helpless human being. As difficult as it is, one of the greatest gifts toward a childs future and thriving life is to breast feed your infant. Good luck and congratulations. I will post a couple support sites for nirsing shortly.