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"So, are you going to breast or bottle feed?" I think I heard this question about a hundred times during my pregnancy, and everyone asking it was fishing for a response. Those who "couldn't breastfeed" clearly wanted to hear that I would come to the same conclusions they had, or wanted to half-heartedly wish me luck and hope to hear about my later failure to make them feel better. The militant breastfeeders waited for my answer to find out if I was a member of their club, or if I needed to be lectured.

Let me just start by saying, unequivocally, that I am a member of the club. I understand that about 3% of new mothers cannot breastfeed for some medical reason. These women are pardoned, and I offer them my condolences since I would feel horribly guilty if I couldn't breastfeed my own baby. However the current breastfeeding rates in the United States reflect that more than just 3% of women are choosing not to participate. According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2007 only 73.8% of babies were ever breastfed. By 6 months of age, rates fell to 41.5% and by one year, only 20.9% of babies were getting any breastmilk at all. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed until they are 6 months old, and supplement breastfeeding until at least one year of age. The World Health Organization advocates breastfeeding for at least two years.

Human breastmilk cannot be reproduced. In fact, because its easily digestable, breastmilk has been used experimentally for treatment in cancer patients with excellent results. It is the most easily utilized protein source for humans, so some athletes will pay up to $45 a pint for it, using it to encourage muscle growth. Doctors will prescribe human breastmilk for babies who are not gaining weight and are failing to thrive. Breastmilk contains antibodies, helping keep babies from getting ill. Breastfed babies are almost never constipated and almost never have diarrhea. Later in life, these children have lower rates of obesity, Type 1 diabetes, athsma, allergies and some cancers and tend to have higher IQ's.

In addition, it has been proven that 24 months of breastfeeding reduces a woman's risk of breast and ovarian cancer later in life. It is easier for women to lose those postpartum pounds while breastfeeding since it takes at least 500 calories per day to produce enough milk to feed your baby. Breastfeeding encourages bonding, and will often calm an otherwise fussy baby when a bottle will not do. Formula feeding costs at least $100 per month and introduces tons of unnecessary packaging into our landfills, while breastfeeding is free and as environmentally friendly as it gets. Tell me, is there ANY benefit to formula feeding?

Learn more about this author, Sarah Grau.
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