Contact with mom is important for successful breastfeeding

When Mila Kunis, wife of Ashton Kutcher and star of “Bad Moms” (really, she’s a good one), breastfed her now four-year-old Wyatt Isabelle in public, she had a straightforward answer to the question, “Why?” “Because I had to feed my child. She was hungry.”

That attitude toward caring for an infant is now more mainstream and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that breastfeeding rates are rising. More than 80 per cent of mothers begin breastfeeding their babies at birth, and 51.8 per cent are still breastfeeding at six months of age.

Now, new research from Dr. Mike’s Cleveland Clinic reveals a surprising way to increase breastfeeding rates even more. Don’t rush baby off for a bath right after birth; it reduces skin-to-skin contact, interferes with bonding, chills the little one (not nice!) and interferes with easy latching on.

The researchers looked at the breastfeeding differences between quick bathing and simply wiping off the baby’s skin before leaving the child on mom’s torso (bathing happened 12-plus hours later). They found that exclusive breastfeeding rates went up from 59.8 per cent for moms with immediately bathed babies to 69.2 per cent for no-immediate-bath-for-baby moms.

Beyond the well-documented boost to baby’s immune strength that comes from breastfeeding, it turns out that as breastfeeding rates go up, lifetime medical costs associated with maternal and childhood illnesses decrease by $13 billion to $17 billion. So if you’re headed for delivery, let your doc know that you’re interested in postponing your newborn’s bath (moms are demanding it). You and your baby will benefit in many ways.

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune in to “The Dr. Oz Show”

or visit www.sharecare.com.