Research Indicates That Breastmilk Shapes Human Psyche

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The nutritional and physical health benefits of breastfeeding are obvious, the psychological effects of breastfeeding on the child and the mother are often never discussed. Studies suggest that breastfeeding impacts children’s brain and socio-emotional growth. In a mother, breastfeeding influences mood, affect, stress, and care. This article explores a broad overview of existing findings on the psychological effects of breastfeeding, highlighting the important role that breastfeeding plays in the psychological growth of a child, the potential mechanisms that underpin the effects.

Breastfeeding is the “gold standard” food source in the first months of a newborn’s life. The World Health Organization recommends at least six months, which is defined by breastmilk as the only source of nourishment. In addition to being a critical nutritious ingredient to the infant, breastfeeding is not simply a meal but also has significant and lasting effects on the behaviour, and mental health of children.

In one such study, a higher frequency of breastfed meals and the duration of breastfeeding during the first year were found to be positively associated with measures of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development including memory, language, and motor skills at 14 months and 18 months of age. Importantly, these cognitive benefits of breastfeeding seen in infancy have been shown to endure into childhood and adolescence.

In addition to the effects on children’s cognitive and brain development, there is evidence that breastfeeding also has an impact on social and emotional growth in children. There is work that suggests breastfeeding experience is associated with differences in infant temperament. As an example, a 3-month-old breastfed infant is reported to show negative effects than formula-fed infants. Similarly, bad temperament like fussiness has been found to be with a prolonged duration of breastfeeding during infancy. On the other hand, another study found that breastfed infants were reported to have more vigor at 3 months, characterized by a greater approach, than babies who are formula-fed.

Research indicates a negative association between breastfeeding experience and aggression in behavior. For eg, the duration of breastfeeding experience has shown to correlate negatively with parent-reported antisocial behavior in children from 4 to 10 years of age. These effects on antisocial behavior appear to outstretch well beyond infancy into adulthood. A study following adults from 21 to 45 years of age found significantly greater amounts of hostile behavior in adults who were not breastfed as infants compared to those who were breastfed.

In conclusion, breastfeeding is a significant indicator of a child’s personality. Where all their cognitive-behavioral patterns depend on how long they were breastfed and how they were breastfed. In the end, a mother’s love will make you who you are.

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We have always heard that our parents are our first teachers, guide, and friend. They don’t just teach us to take our first step but also, how to deal with various situations in life. Most valuable lessons of our lives come from them. It is essential to be a good parent because your child is your reflection. Children can grasp better than adults, and therefore, it’s necessary to give them the right direction and education.

There are many types of parenthood from authoritative, authoritarian, permissive to uninvolved. You are the best judge on what kind of a parent you want to be.

Although there is no fixed formula to be a good parent, there are a few things that are a must to be an ideal parent and good role model for your child.

Patience is the key

Being a parent is a 24*7 job. With every tantrum and mischief, you get closer to losing your patience. Try and stay calm even during the frustrating times, no matter how overwhelming it gets. You need to find a solution instead of reacting in a certain way that you might regret later. Good parents never lose their patience; they remain cool and calm which helps their children feel safe and secure. Learning how to handle stress and responsibility can help in the long run. Children are innocent and faint-hearted, they need to be treated with love and nurtured with patience.

Show empathy

It is essential to have a healthy relationship with your child, and it starts when you show love and compassion towards them. They learn empathy like every other skill from their parents. When you express your love, they feel important and secure and also, open up to you. It makes them expressive and helps them to share their emotions with you. As they start building trust towards you, they share their perspective. This also helps them to grow empathetic towards others, as well as, it makes them strong enough to cope with stress and failure in future.

Respect and mutual trust

If you want your child to respect you, you need to respect them too. They feel important when they are included in important decisions. It also helps them to differentiate between wrong and right. When they make mistakes, it is essential to make them understand why it is wrong; it helps them build their thinking and not repeat the same mistakes in future. Constant advice can hurt their confidence and lead to fighting. When you do not trust them, you are pushing them to become rebellious.

A boundary is necessary

While being a good friend, you also need to maintain specific rules in your house. Teach them about personal space and keep some limits. This helps them to build discipline and encourage them to maintain a routine. Teach them about the healthy distance one needs to keep with others. Also, do not contradict yourself and break the rules. If you yourself won’t follow them, it will confuse your child and eventually will lose interest in respecting your rules and decisions.

Communication

Clear and understanding communication builds a healthy relationship-same goes with you and your child. Good parents never give advice and judge their children without listening to their perspective or their side of the story. Always listen to your child, this will help them to learn the same and they in return will listen to you better. When you maintain a frank and healthy communication, it makes you approachable. They might not feel comfortable talking about certain things, but communication is a skill that every parent needs to learn.