Brief report: breast-fed one-week-olds demonstrate superior neurobehavioral organization.
OBJECTIVE
Following studies conducted during the immediate newborn stage, we investigated whether one-week-olds' neurobehavioral functioning was differentiated by feeding method. We also examined whether feeding-method effects differed among infants of adolescent mothers.


METHODS
Participants were infants (N = 83) of breast-feeding (N = 41) and formula-feeding (N = 42) mothers. Approximately half of each group's participants had adolescent mothers and half were infants of adult mothers. Assessments on the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (BNBAS) were conducted on the infants when they were 8.95 days of age.


RESULTS
Breast-fed infants surpassed formula-fed infants on items of the orientation, motor, range of state, and state regulation dimensions of the BNBAS. Breast-fed infants also exhibited fewer abnormal reflexes, signs of depression, and withdrawal. Infants of adolescent mothers did not differ from those of adult mothers, regardless of feeding method.


CONCLUSIONS
These data provide compelling evidence that breast-feeding is advantageous to neonates' neurobehavioral organization.
Hart
Sybil
S
Texas Tech University, Department of Pediatrics, Texas 79409-1162, USA. sybil.hart@ttu.edu
Boylan
L Mallory
LM
Carroll
Sebrina
S
Musick
Yvette A
YA
Lampe
Richard M
RM
D000293:Adolescent; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D005260:Female; D005526:Food, Formulated; D006801:Humans; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008423:Maternal Age; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires