Breast Milk During Hospital Stay Reduces Asthma Risk for Newborns
Post Date: September 30, 2024 | Publish Date:
Infants who were exclusively fed breast milk during their hospitalization at birth were 22% less likely to develop asthma in early childhood, according to research presented by Laura Placke Ward, MD, co-director for the Center for Breastfeeding Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2024 National Conference & Exhibition in Orlando.
The abstract, “Association Between Hospital Feeding Patterns and Childhood Asthma,” found lower rates of asthma in the infants who were exclusively fed breast milk even after adjusting for maternal race, insurance, infant sex, and length of hospital stay.
“Although the birth hospitalization lasts only a few days, it sets a critical foundation for establishing breastfeeding, which can influence health outcomes like childhood asthma,” Ward says.
