by Ray Burow

Created on: July 20, 2010

Once upon a time, the choice to bottle or breastfeed your baby, was a dialogue which transpired between you and your physician. At most the discussion continued within the walls of your home within your family dynamic. No longer. The resources afforded to one making the decision are vast. While the decision to breast or bottle feed is still one best made by the nursing parent/s, many agencies have an opinion on the matter. By the way, the La Leche League is not the only agency speaking out on the benefits of breastfeeding. To name a few, The Center for Disease Control, The Health and Human Service Office for Women’s Health, The United States Breastfeeding Committee, and even the USDA. Are you astonished that breastfeeding is national concern?

In the late fifties breastfeeding was at an all time low in the United States. The number of nursing mothers had dropped to nearly twenty percent. This statistic was partly the reason behind the formation of the La Leche League in 1956. Since that time breastfeeding has more than caught on in the United States, as evidenced by the many organizations dedicated to preaching its benefits. “The percentage of infants who were ever breastfed increased from 60% among infants who were born in 1993-1994 to 77% of infants who were born between 2005-2006”. This is according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

If you are in the throes of deciding between bottle and breastfeeding, don’t make a decision based on; ‘everybody’s doing it.’ Make an informed decision. The following is true of nursing infants and their mothers:

• Babies who breastfeed receive natural antibodies from their mothers milk.

These antibodies fight disease and assist newborns and infants when they are most vulnerable. Antibodies found in breast milk have been proven to ward off ear and respiratory infections, types 1 and 2 diabetes, stomach viruses and even sudden infant death syndrome.

• There are health benefits to the nursing mother.

Recent studies conclude that breastfeeding cuts the risk of ovarian and breast cancer, as well as diabetes and even post partum depression. While there are no guarantees these findings are encouraging. Oh yes, in addition to fighting disease, nursing mothers lose their tummies faster, since the uterus contracts during breastfeeding. (internal sit-ups)

• Babies who breastfeed have fewer hospital visits.

Newborns who are breastfed in the hospital (including pre-term

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