Breastfeeding vs Bottle Feeding

Question 1

What are the main components of breast milk?

Answer 1

Water (90%)
Fat (4%)
Protein (1%)
Lactose (5%)

Question 2

What is the difference between Prolactin and Oxytocin?

Answer 2

Prolactin stimulates the cells to produce milk for the next feed
Oxytocin causes muscle contractions to enable the flow of stored milk for the current feed

Question 3

Where are prolactin and oxytocin secreted from?

Answer 3

Prolactin is secreted from the anterior pituitary gland
Oxytocin is secreted from the posterior pituitary gland

Question 4

How do C-Section births affect milk production?

Answer 4

Natural birth contractions stimulate prolactin release, so women who have a C-Section can have a delay in prolactin release and milk production.

Question 5

How doe you promote oxytocin release?

Answer 5

Mother-baby skin-on-skin contact

Question 6

State the difference between comfort and feeding suckles

Answer 6

Comfort: short and fast
Feeding: long and rhythmic

Question 7

What is Colostrum

Answer 7

The first form of milk produced in the first 3-4 days of breastfeeding.
High concentration of immune factors with a laxative effect.

Question 8

What is the difference between foremilk and hindmilk?

Answer 8

Foremilk and hindmilk are produced at each feed.
Foremilk: waterier, thirst quenching
Hindmilk: higher fat content

Question 9

Why can formula not replicate breastmilk?

Answer 9

1) not all of the substances are identifiable
2) the technology does not exist to synthesise it effectively
3) synthesis is too expensive and long with current technology

Question 10

Why is breast milk important for baby’s gut health?

Answer 10

At birth, infant’s gut is full of holes, and it takes many weeks to mature and close.
Jost et al. (2013) good bacteria can be transferred from the mother’s cut to the infants via breastmilk.

Question 11

Identify 10 barriers to breastfeeding

Answer 11

1) lack of support at birth
2) difficulties with latching
3) anxiety/lack of confidence
4) tiredness
5) post-natal depression
6) returning to work
7) lack of family history/encouragement
8) pressure from friends
9) sexualisation of breasts
10) unhealthy relationships

Question 12

Outline the findings from an NHS survey about returning to work post partum

Answer 12

NHS workers reported insufficient breastfeeding support upon return to work, 69% did not have sufficient time to express milk (Torjesen, 2022)

Question 13

Breastfeeding causes post-natal depression. True or false?

Answer 13

Fasle. Some studies have shown that breastfeeding can have a protective effect again PND, with prolonged feeding associated with less PND (Ip et al., 2009)

Question 14

How do personality traits influence breastfeeding practices?

Answer 14

Brown (2013)
1) introverted mother are significantly less likely to initiate/continue breastfeeding
2) mothers with a higher self-concept are significantly more likely to exclusively breastfeed.

Question 15

How does self-objectification influence breastfeeding practices?

Answer 15

Brown (2013)
Mothers who score higher on body-objectification measures more likely to view breastfeeding as indecent.

Question 16

How long does the WHO organisation recommend exclusively breastfeeding for? What % of UK mothers do?

Answer 16

6 months; 1% exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months of an infants life

Question 17

Which taste bud is not present from birth, and when does it develop?

Answer 17

Salt
Develops around 4 months

Question 18

What taste do babies have a preference for?

Answer 18

Sweet

Question 19

Does breastfeeding reduce the chances of obesity in later life?

Answer 19

Yes; can reduce the chances of a child becoming obese by 25% (WHO, 2019; study across 16 countries).

Question 20

Outline Li et al. (2010) study

Answer 20

Study investigating the % of children in late infancy who drink from a cup until it is empty:
- 27% exclusively breastfed
- 54% breast and bottle fed
- 68% exclusively bottle fed
Breastfed infants have more self-regulation than bottle fed babies as they have had control over their intake since birth.

Question 21

What happened to feeding practices when opaque bottles were used?

Answer 21

Ventaura & Golen (2015)
Parents were more responsive to the baby’s cues and stopped feeding when the baby signaled when using an opaque bottle, compared to a clear bottle when the baby’s cues were ignored and feeding continued until the bottle was empty.

Question 22

How do infant cues moderate the effect of opaque bottles on feeding practices?

Answer 22

• intake is the same for clear and opaque bottles when the baby has low clarity of cues
• intake with an opaque bottle is lower than with a clear bottle when a baby has high clarity of cues

Question 23

How does duration of breastfeeding impact obesity risk?

Answer 23

The longer you breastfeed for, the longer the baby has to self-regulate their intake, the better their self-regulation of food intake later in life.

Question 24

How does sex of the baby influence breastfeeding duration in some cultures?

Answer 24

Jayachandran and Kuziemko (2011)
Limited breastfeeding of female children when parents want to have a son, as ovulation stops during breastfeeding as a protective measure for the body

Question 25

What is the problem with breastfeeding research?

Answer 25

You cannot do experiments using a randomised control sample. There are confounds in breastfeeding research that cannot be ethically controlled for, or manipulated.