A recent scientific study showed that a breastfeeding mother maintains a higher temperature compared to women who do not breastfeed, and this may help warm newborns who have difficulty regulating their body temperature efficiently in the first days of their lives.
The importance of breastfeeding
Researchers from the University of Oulu in Finland conducted an experiment in a controlled climate chamber, where adult volunteers stood at different temperatures, while scientists used infrared thermal imaging to measure changes in chest temperature.
The results showed that the breasts of breastfeeding women lose significantly less heat when exposed to cold air compared to men or non-breastfeeding women.
In the coldest conditions tested, breastfeeding women’s breast temperature decreased by only about 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit, while the other groups lost about 8 degrees.
Scientists attribute this difference to biological changes that occur during breastfeeding, as the milk-producing glands become more active and blood flows to them more abundantly, which helps maintain a relatively constant temperature near the surface of the skin.
This discovery is particularly important because newborns lose heat more quickly than adults due to their smaller body size and lack of fat insulation.
Medical reports indicate that hypothermia in newborns occurs frequently even in countries with warm climates.
This discovery is also consistent with known medical practices such as “kangaroo care” recommended by the World Health Organization, which relies on keeping the baby in direct contact with the mother’s skin to help maintain its body warmth.
Researchers believe that the shape of the human breast may give the baby more room to attach to the mother’s body during feeding, allowing heat to be transferred through the skin more effectively.
Although the study included only 27 participants, scientists confirm that the results open the door to a deeper understanding of the role of breastfeeding in protecting newborns, and may help in the future to develop better practices for caring for newborns.
