U.N. claims breast feeding saves 6 million babies

[Thom Little]

Breast feeding is saving the lives of 6 million babies a year, but more than twice that could be saved if more mothers would use the time-honored method, the U.N. children's agency said Tuesday.

Thirty-nine percent of infants in developing countries are exclusively breast fed, UNICEF said, blaming "lack of awareness amongst mothers, and lack of support from health workers and communities."

A total of 1.3 million lives could be saved each year if mothers followed its recommendation of exclusive breast feeding up until six months, then complementary feeding for at least two years, Miriam Labbok of UNICEF said in a statement. UNICEF said breast milk gives a baby ideal nourishment and disease immunity.

Global breast-feeding rates rose at least 15 percent from 1990 and 2000, UNICEF said, as advocacy groups campaigned for the practice.



http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2005/11/21/un_claims_breast_feeding_saves_6m_babies?mode=PF

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. It's all right here. link.

http://www.drgreene.com/54_12.html

Benefits of Breastfeeding
Lingering Benefits of Nursing
Babies Waking at Night?
Strong Prevention
Stop Respiratory Infections
Lactoferrin and Lysozyme Supplements
The Essential Components of Breast Milk
Breastfeeding and Saving Lives
Breast Feeding and Asthma
Breastfeeding and Asthma
Breast-fed Babies Breathe Easier
No Parents Want Their Children to Need Surgery
Breastfeeding and Obesity
Breastfeeding Drops Risk of Obesity
Breastfeeding and Protection from Obesity
Breastfeeding Advantages for Mom!
Breastfeeding and Kids’ Cancer Risk
Cancer Prevention
Breastfeeding, Bone Density, and Teens

[waiting for hope]

2. Yadda yadda yadda

I tried with my first and had a horrible time with it and since I was going back to work 6 weeks after my second, I decided it wasn't worth all the anxiety and guilt I felt over the first time. My first, has had only ONE ear infection and a few colds and the baby has been sick only once....I grant that breast milk does have it's benefits but it's mostly genetic in my book. I'm adopted, my two brothers are not - all of their kids have had tubes put in their ears and have been sick constantly and both s-i-law's breastfed. Where's the science there? It's great if you can but the guilt that is laid on if you don't is ridiculous.

[SidDithers]

11. Anecdotes are not science...nt

Sid

[waiting for hope]

13. No, they are not

but, if one is unable or decides not to breastfed, it shouldn't be a big deal. I'm a child of the sixties and back then it was normal and acceptable to bottle feed. I got so much flak the first time..WHEN I COULD NOT and having a baby is so much more than worrying over whether or not you have just killed your newborns chances of being healthy. My son is four and a picture of health. Having used formula has not diminished anything.

[MercutioATC]

20. This is a statistical report, not a personal attack.

In general, breastfeeding is good. Of course there are individual exceptions, but encouraging breastfeeding makes sense.

[moc]

14. Population health vs. individual health

Not to pounce on you specifically but every time the health benefits of bf'ing are brought up, someone has to pipe in with "well, my kids were formula fed and were never sick and so-and-so's kids were bf'd and were sick all the time", therefore, the science is bunk.

The fact of the matter is that the science supporting the link between bf'ing and reduced infant illness is very strong. (I can't say the same thing for other outcomes such as IQ - don't buy it at all; asthma or childhood obesity - the science is still somewhat equivocal). However, a second fact is that the distribution of illness within both bf'd and formula fed infants is very wide, and the distributions overlap a great deal.

What does this mean, practically speaking? This means that the benefits of increasing breastfeeding rates at the population level will be seen in reduced infant illness rates at the population level. However, because of the wide distributions, the benefits may or may not be accrued at the individual level. The latter doesn't negate the importance of the former, however. Indeed, in developing countries where the leading cause of infant death is diarrheal disease, increasing bf'ing rates is literally a matter of life and death.

I do agree with you, however, that it is important to support women in their choices, provide them with the resources to support that choice, and to not make women feel guilty if they choose not to bf'd.

[SidDithers]

15. Good post :)

:toast:

Sid

[moc]

16. Thanks!

:toast:

[Ilsa]

25. At least they were only sick and not dead.

Breastfeeding can't guarantee a baby never will be ill, but it can guarantee that it won't be as ill or as often. I shudder to think how some babies could have died if their moms hadn't nursed them.

[Squatch]

3. We are big advocates of BF...

for the health reasons and I really love seeing our son truly bond with my wife. It's a beautiful thing.

[Rainscents]

4. I BB both my kids and they never got sick!

[DavidBowman]

5. Breastfeeding is awesome!

There's no substitute, ladies. Docs and babies are unanimous about this.

[Squatch]

6. And so are husbands/fathers!

At least this one is.

[DavidBowman]

10. Hear hear

Let's round up the non-breastfeeders and force them to drink their own breastmilk as a cleansing elixir.

I'm serious about that, though. Where did the quote in your sig line come from?

[Squatch]

12. It's an anagram of "Mission Accomplished"

[New Earth]

7. it is the best

i breastfed my daughter for 2 years - i actually enjoyed it much, it was very relaxing and she would always put ME to sleep. it sets off hormones in the mother's body that help her relax and most times, doze off. and she used to rub my belly while she nursed - it was like her little comfort thing. she's 5 now, and she still has to touch my belly once or twice before she goes to sleep....

:(

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

8. Maybe In Developing Countries, But in My house my kids are perfect without

it. Our BJ's brand wyeth formula has done justtttttttt fine.

:)

[waiting for hope]

9. Thank you.....

[Ilsa]

29. No one is judging anyone for not breastfeeding.

But just because a baby is doing fine on formula (and I'm happy for you and your baby that it is), doesn't mean that breastmilk isn't the best thing for a baby.
Higher IQ
Lower risk of leukemia
better cholesterol levels in adulthood
better retinal development
better immune system development
lower risk for obesity
lower risk of juevenile diabetes
etc

If formula feeding is working for you and your lifestyle, fine. But don't claim that it doesn't matter, because it does make a difference. The science proves that.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

30. I think when considering the other factors for all the things you listed,

that the BF part of it almost becomes negligable. Most of the list has other factors that when present create far more risk.

I support 100% those who BF. And yes, in small ways it will always be superior to formula. But neither of my children will turn out any less because we didn't BF, period. (though in certain developing countries it is far more important to BF, but I'm speaking for my environment)

on edit: I also don't recall saying whatsoever that anyone was giving me a guilt trip on any level. However, your long list of alllll the things that might go wrong with my kids because we don't comes awfully close

[Ilsa]

32. It's kind of like the long lisst of things that can happen

if kids don't wear seatbelts, eat nutritious meals, etc.

I think sometimes guilt plays a part in it (I'm not saying you, though), because while there may be other things involved in developing those health problems, the statistics and science fully support the breastfeeding side. I suspect that some day, researchers will state something to the effect that "breastfeeding has an impact on each of the infant's systems to the extent that it sets up their function for a lifetime of better health."

There really are alot of babies that can't do formula without serious immediate consequences. Those babies end up on very expensive formulas, running $300-$500 a month. Again, I'm glad your children are healthy and have no problems. But anecdotally speaking, the pediatric wards tend to be chock-full of sick babies on formula. And preemies are discharged much faster if they are on breastmilk as they have fewer complications, and the IQ difference is about 10 pts.

[sepia_steel]

17. If ya CAN BF....

then please consider it. It's just better. I'm a'gonna.

[jbnow]

18. It is great for lazy mothers!

No bottles to fill, warm, sterilize. I didn't even know it was so much healthier when I did it, I did know I am pretty lazy.

I have read a lot about the benefits since. When new research comes out on long term benefits to the child, like higher IQ or adult health, I pass it on and suggest my now adult son send me Godiva. That way I also get long term benefits.

I didn't know it wasn't already the norm in developing countries.
They say supplemental feedings until the child is two. I couldn't have done that.

My son weaned himself in his 10th month. Too passive for him I think. He had arms to wave around, jabbering to say and so far to toddle and crawl. He'd used a toddler glass for sips of water for months and that was what he wanted all his drinking from that time on. (Well he doesn't still use, he's 30) He started feeding himself all the time on the same day he quit nursing. He was a bossy child and once he decided, that was it. (Which was handy when he announced one day he did not need diapers any more when he turned two, without toilet training. Less handy when he was a teenager)

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

19. I think it is great to promote breastfeeding, but I caution against those

that think they will get superbabies from it. I'm not saying that's what you meant, but there are some mothers who will lay the guilt trips so thick if you don't, and make absurd claims as to how much better the child will be, as if it will be a superbaby or something!

I did want to add onto your post, though, the data of higher IQ. It is 3 points. 3 Lousy points. Losing an hour of sleep at night does the same thing LOL

[moc]

21. I don't buy the data re: IQ

(FWIW, I'm a professor in public health, specializing in maternal and child health; do research in determinants of cognitive development).

Now, as a caveat, I'll admit to not be intimately familiar with all of the published data out there on the BF/IQ link. However, what I have seen wasn't that convincing. Also, I am very well versed in the literature on the determinants of cognitive development, and in light of that, a simple cause/effect relationship between bf'ing and IQ just isn't plausible. My suspicion is unmeasured variables bias.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

22. Well, I hear what your saying, but

I do believe there was a statistical significance of a higher IQ of 3-6 points.

The problem is that though it is statistically significant, in the real world it is practically indistinguishable. So really, whether someone agrees with the data or not, the outcome is the same (that for all intensive purposes both children are equal)

[moc]

24. Indeed. I agree. However,

An IQ difference of 3 points would be an effect size of .20, which would be considered small (and less than meaningful as you say).

However, what I believe is that important confounding variables were not taken into consideration which if they had would have rendered the group differences not significant, either statistically or otherwise.

In other words, I do not believe the research purporting a causal link between bf'ing and IQ is internally valid.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

27. Actually some of the studies admitted that.

That they didn't take all variables into account. That is why I usually use the 3 points number instead of the higher end of 6 or 7 in order to compensate.

As I said though, either way, 3, 5, 7, it bears no real weight in the real world.

Not to mention just having a stimulating environment for them cognitively can increase it up to 15 points on its own.

[moc]

31. Absolutely. And not to mention how much we could improve

cognitive outcomes by eliminating poverty. I study the effects of urban poverty, and even after adjusting for family level processes (family income, quality of parent/child interaction, etc), living in a high poverty neighborhood is associated with a decrement of two-thirds to a full standard deviation in cognitive measures.

That's why I cringe everytime someone starts touting the IQ benefits of bf'ing. It's just not the thing to emphasize, imo.

[jbnow]

23. I heard

something like 3 to 7, but it got me Godiva.

But here is my rant. That is almost surely due to the lack of essential fatty acids in formula in the United States, so essential to early brain development. I don't think it is required even now, but there were two brands of formula that do include it.
How crazy is that?

One thing I almost wrote in my last post is that while it is very bonding I think the bonding comes in the holding and the total attention, the contact. Bottle feeding would offer that too if you're holding them.

I already confessed I did it because I was lazy, and Bottle fed kids can thrive as well. But I am still sending the articles and getting chocolate. I like chocolate.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

26. You are really funny

I like your writing style :) (hey, I'm a guy, but still love the godiva when it's free ya know?)

As far as the bonding aspect goes I think that has the most to do with parental love and attention then anything else. With both my sons (now 2 and 3 mos, 3 mos still bottle feeding obviously) I take a very active role in their feeding. I love holding him close and snuggling while I feed him, then making him smile afterwards. I don't feel like he is any less cozy with me cause I don't have breasts.


on edit: oops, wanted to say that yes, i believe 3-7 is correct for the gain.

[Odin2005]

28. I've never gotten why people are so averse to breastfeeding.

[MountainLaurel]

33. It involves women's dirty pillows

And therefore it's sinful.

No shit -- read on a parenting board about one woman's fundie SIL who refused to breastfeed her daughter because she thought it would turn the baby into a lesbian.

[donsu]

34. Yes!

nt