Breastfeeding Bonus

Here's a little article I just read in the November issue of Parents magazine. Just something to encourage all you breastfeeding moms out there.

Nursing your baby can boost his IQ, according to the largest randomized trial of breastfeeding ever done. In the study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, moms who got extra nursing support were more likely to exclusively nurse for at least three months and to continue some breastfeeding throughout the first year. Six years later, their children scored several points higher on IQ tests and were rated slightly better by teachers on reading and writing. The difference may be due to brain-building substances found in breast milk such as fatty acids or growth factors or may result from the closer physical and emotional contact that occurs during breastfeeding.