Abstract
Lactation is the most critical period of mammal feeding given the compulsory dependence on milk of the offspring during a more or less extensive period following birth. This has also been the case for the human species until relatively recent times when heterologous milk processing has allowed the alternative of artificial lactation. The advantages and disadvantages of natural and artificial lactation (formula) have been widely discussed from the biological, psychological and cultural perspectives, without reaching a general agreement among the breastfeeding women themselves or among the health professionals concerned. On the subject of breastfeeding, the information available is enormous but as in other instances, the excess of it has often made it difficult to acquire objective knowledge on the matter that has hindered decision-making in specific circumstances. This situation is understandable given the diversity and the innumerable contingencies that the mother and health professionals must face in their natural and social (cultural) environments. To reduce these difficulties and taking into consideration the biological and cultural aspects involved in infant feeding, this article analyzes some aspects of the subject from the point of view of biological evolution as the mother-child dyad, mother-infant conflicts, in particular the conflict of weaning, late-onset primary lactase deficiency and the prevention from childhood of adult diseases. All of which allows to offer a testimony of gratitude and respect to women who have assumed the responsibility of breastfeeding their infants because without them the human species would not have existed.
Highlights
The feeding of the child, especially the infant, has been a matter of the utmost importance in every modern society
On the subject of infant feeding biological evolution has given rise to breast milk and the practice of breast-feeding; cultural evolution has led to artificial milk and the practice of bottle feeding
Our claim will focus on four specific aspects that have aroused the interest of authors: Mother-child dyad, mother-infant conflicts, late-onset primary lactase deficiency and the prevention from childhood of adult diseases
Summary
The feeding of the child, especially the infant, has been a matter of the utmost importance in every modern society. This, together with its other important effects, on the prevention of infections, on the health and well-being of the mother, on child spacing, on family health, on family and national economics, and on food production, makes it a key aspect of self-reliance, primary health care and current development approaches It is a responsibility of society to promote breast-feeding and to protect pregnant and lactating mothers from any influences that could disrupt it” [2]. The incessant research activity from biological, psychological and cultural perspectives has provided an enormous amount of information about the mother, the child and the very diverse social environments in which the phenomenon of breast-feeding takes place. The third postulate holds that the future of any animal community inescapably depends on the survival of its offspring; and limiting the claim to our species, our conviction that without the mother who has breastfed her infants, mankind would not exist [4]
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