Breast milk is still the best for babies, but it is still best for infants to get it straight from the source – their mothers' breasts.
According to a study published by the Journal of Pediatrics, researchers found that babies fed directly from the mothers' breast were less likely to develop ear infections that those who drank breast milk that was pumped and kept in a bottle.
However, both babies who received breast milk from the direct source or from a pump were equally found to have lower risk of diarrhea.
Five hundred new mothers and their babies took part in the study, which found there was a four per cent lower risk of ear infections in those fed from the breast. Where breastfeeding continued for six months, the risk lowered to 17 per cent.
Babies who were fed from the pump had a 14 percent higher risk of ear infection and the figures rose to 114 percent among those fed from the pump over six months as compared with those directly fed from the breast.
"While it is not completely clear why ear infections may be related to bottle feeding, it could be because bottles can create a negative pressure during feeding. This negative pressure is then transferred from the bottle to the middle ear of the infant during feedings, which may precipitate ear infections," Sarah Keim, who headed the study, said.
According to an article posted by the Baby Center, breastfeeding has many benefits for both the mother and child. First, it strengthens the baby's immunity against a host of diseases like type 1 and type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as childhood cancers.
Breastfeeding also protects babies from allergies, as well as reportedly helps boost a child's intelligence. It also lowers the risk of obesity as it has a lower insulin level than formula.
For mums, breastfeeding is still believed to be best as it has been linked to reduced rates of depression and postpartum depression because the practice helps induce feelings of relaxation.
