light of the corresponding changes in the stress or
inflammatory response.
Thus, the following prospective, naturalistic study was
conducted to test the hypothesis that women who
predominantly breastfeed for 6 months postpartum will
have decreased level of depressive symptoms, a lower
stress response, and a lower level of pro-inflammatory
cytokines compared to women who primarily bottle feed
their infants at month 6 postpartum. This study allows for
further examination of the relationship between nonexclusive
breastfeeding and symptoms of depression
within a PNI framework.