BREAST MILK AND EMOTIONS

Is it true that feeding mother's milk in early days in an infant's life have a positive effect on children's future growth and development?

Does it affect the mental and emotional aspects of the children if mother's milk is denied at the early days of his life?

psychologists say that only children who are denied their mother's breast in early days, tend to smoke when they become adolescents and young children. Is the statement true.

There is some truth in it. When breast sucking is denied in early days of their infantile stage, their sucking reflex get stuck and they may psychologically crave for a human breast to satisfy their sucking stimulus, which they compensate in the form of sucking their own fingers to satisfy their sucking urge. Some children put pencils and pen in their mouth and suck it vigorously when they are emotionally tortured by their mothers or teachersor when they feel insecure.

When they grow into adulthood they may succumb to the temptation of smoking cigarettes which they think, may satisfy them psychologically to experience and taste the "sucking reflex" which they lost in their childhood years. Peer pressures and mental and emotional pressures that they face in their day to day stressful life make them a habitual smokers.

Dr.Habibullah answers lot of intersting questions concerned with 'adolescent health' to a tamil magazine 'vasuki'.