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Breastfeeding beyond the big smoke: Who provides support for mothers in rural Western Australia?Antenatal group education is effective in supporting breastfeeding duration for rural women and should be a key priority for rural health service providers.
News & Events
Support breastfeeding Mums for healthy babies and a healthy planetAs a child health researcher, I'm often asked by new Mums what's the best thing they can do for their babies? And my answer is always the same, breastfeed.
Research
World Allergy Organization (WAO) Diagnosis and Rationale for Action against Cow's Milk Allergy (DRACMA) guidelines update – X – Breastfeeding a baby with cow's milk allergyCow's milk allergy is rare in exclusively breastfed infants. To support the continuation of breastfeeding an infant after diagnosis with a cow's milk allergy, it is critical to examine the evidence for and against any form of cow's milk elimination diet for lactating mothers. In this narrative review, we highlight the lack of high-quality evidence, hence subsequent controversy, regarding whether the minuscule quantities of cow's milk proteins detectable in human milk cause infant cow's milk allergy symptoms.
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Maternal prebiotic supplementation during pregnancy and lactation modifies the microbiome and short chain fatty acid profile of both mother and infantImproving maternal gut health in pregnancy and lactation is a potential strategy to improve immune and metabolic health in offspring and curtail the rising rates of inflammatory diseases linked to alterations in gut microbiota. Here, we investigate the effects of a maternal prebiotic supplement (galacto-oligosaccharides and fructo-oligosaccharides), ingested daily from <21 weeks' gestation to six months' post-partum, in a double-blinded, randomised placebo-controlled trial.
Research
Maternal Allergic Disease Phenotype and Infant Birth Season Influence the Human Milk MicrobiomeEarly infancy is a critical period for immune development. In addition to being the primary food source during early infancy, human milk also provides multiple bioactive components that shape the infant gut microbiome and immune system and provides a constant source of exposure to maternal microbiota. Given the potential interplay between allergic diseases and the human microbiome, this study aimed to characterise the milk microbiome of allergic mothers.
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Parents advised to rethink dummy useA comprehensive review of scientific studies on the use of baby pacifiers (dummies) has found that they interfere with successful breastfeeding.
Research
Antibodies in breast milk: Pro-bodies designed for healthy newborn developmentThis manuscript sheds light on the impact of maternal breast milk antibodies on infant health. Milk antibodies prepare and protect the newborn against environmental exposure, guide and regulate the offspring's immune system, and promote transgenerational adaptation of the immune system to its environment.
Research
Exploring Exclusive Breastfeeding and Childhood Cancer Using Linked DataCitation: Bailey HD. Exploring Exclusive Breastfeeding and Childhood Cancer Using Linked Data. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(3):e243075 Keywords:
Research
Breastfeeding in the first hour of life protects against neonatal mortalityBreastfeeding within the first hour of life has been shown to reduce high neonatal mortality by 22%.
Research
Diet at birth is critical for healthy growth, independent of effects on the gut microbiotaColostrum is the first milk for a newborn. Its high content in microbiota shaping compounds and its intake at the time of gut microbiota seeding suggests colostrum may be critical in the establishment of a healthy microbiota. There is also accumulating evidence on the importance of the gut microbiota for healthy growth.