Study suggests, quite rationally, that breastfed children may achieve better test scores
Briana Oser
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According to a new study, children who were breastfed when they were infants may be more likely to achieve better test scores.
The study took a sample size of 5,000 children in the United Kingdom and determined that those who were breastfed for 12 months were more likely to make better marks on their General Certificates of Secondary Education (a British standardized test) in English and mathematics. The study chose its sample from a group of children that accurately represented Britain’s population and oversampled from children with disadvantaged and ethnic backgrounds.
INFLATION ISSUE STILL LOOMS FOR BIDEN DESPITE PROGRESS
A few confounding variables were considered, including the mother’s socioeconomic standing, her ethnicity, her relationship and employment statuses, and whether she smoked during pregnancy or not.
Overall, children in the sample who were breastfed for more than 12 months were 39% more likely to have a high passing score on their mathematics GCSE than a lower pass. The English GCSE results were even more comprehensive: Only 19.2% of children who were breastfed for more than 12 months failed compared to the 41.7% who never breastfed, and 28.5% of those who breastfed for more than 12 months achieved a high pass versus the 9.6% who never breastfed.
Motherhood is a mutually beneficial relationship. Pregnancy increases the mother’s blood oxygen levels and boosts her metabolism. Her hair grows stronger, her skin “glows,” and her mood improves. Her baby absorbs the mother’s nutrients and is provided with a safe, warm space to develop.
This intimate connection continues after birth. The lives and biologies of mothers and children are intertwined: The mother acts as a passive artist who formed her child in the womb, and she is the child’s first environment. The baby receives her DNA, and she can feel the child’s heartbeat.
Breastfeeding is another biological fact that has proven to benefit infants. Breast milk contains nutrients that enhance neurodevelopment. When a mother shows care for her child early on, she takes an active role in her child’s future success. Good mothers determine the quality of society.
This is of deep concern when we consider how our culture treats mothers. Motherhood is presented by some elements of popular culture as a status imposed by a supposedly nefarious “patriarchy.” Social media is seeing a movement of “child free” millennials and anti-natalism, with people in their 30s who post about the horrors of having children based on one or two interactions with a misbehaving toddler.
And how can women be equal to men? Second-wave feminism encourages careerism. Instead of accepting a life-giving vocation that forms our children and our future, we are told women should work 9-to-5 desk jobs for their own lifestyle and their own needs. Careerism contradicts motherhood, which is naturally relational and unselfish.
Maternity is further degraded with the modern erasure of women in gender ideology. Motherhood no longer belongs to women. Extremist gender ideologues refer to mothers as “birthing persons,” claiming that men can have children too.
How can our society resolve this? Recognize basic biological facts and elevate motherhood. Introduce real benefits, such as compassionate healthcare, to struggling mothers. Stop insisting that mothers have a right to kill their babies, especially if those babies get in the way of a 9-to-5 job. And love and appreciate your own mother.
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Briana Oser is a summer 2023 Washington Examiner fellow.