The Development of a Baby While Drinking Breast Milk

From the time a baby is born to one year of age significant and rapid changes occur in his development. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers breastfeed for the first year of their children's lives. Breastfeeding during this time can encourage babies to develop physically and boost the development of their immune systems and cognitive abilities. A mother breastfeeding during the first year of her child's life also helping the development of his motor skills, social skills and cognitive reasoning.

Physical Development

Physical growth is often slower and more gradual than their formula fed counterparts, yet they tend to develop motor and cognitive skills more quickly. On average, breastfed babies weigh less than those that are formula fed and are less likely to be overweight as babies and children. According to DrSears.com, there is also a decrease in the incidence of adulthood obesity among those who had been breastfed as babies.

Motor Skills

According to the Couple to Couple League, breastfed babies generally crawl and walk sooner. In the article Babies Motor Better with Breastmilk published in Science News, babies were 50 percent less likely to show motor delays had they been breastfed at least four months, compared to babies who had never been breastfed. This study accounted for other factors that may have contributed to the difference in motor development including mother's age and socioeconomic status.

Social Connection

One of the primary benefits of breastfeeding is that it provides opportunities for one on one time between the mother and baby. The eye to eye and skin to skin contact helps to create a deep bond between the mother and child, which is important to the baby's social development and overall emotional well-being. Breastfed babies are often held and talked to more often than babies who are not breastfed, and this type of engagement advances their social development.

Cognitive Development

Cognitive development is generally more advanced in breastfed babies than in babies of the same age who have been formula fed. A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that after covariances were factored in, breastfed babies between the ages of 6 and 23 months showed significantly higher cognitive function than those who had not been breastfed.

Immune System Development

Infants are born with underdeveloped immune systems that gradually strengthen throughout their lives. Babies that are breastfed generally have stronger and more developed immune systems by one year of age. There are significantly fewer instances of infections and illnesses in breastfed babies.

An important part of the immune system is the development of the thymus gland. A study published in The Journal of American Osteopathic Association reported that a group of babies had their thymus glands measured at birth through the use of ultrasound, and in all babies it was relatively the same size. The same babies had their thymus glands remeasured at 4 months and the results showed that babies who had been exclusively breastfed had significantly larger and more developed thymus glands, which is directly related to the development of the immune system.