Breastfeeding saves lives and money

Denver, Co.- The lives of more than 900 babies could be saved each year, along with an estimated cost savings of $13 billion per year, if U.S. women exclusively breastfed their babies for the first six months of life, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The study findings suggest breastfeeding may help prevent hundreds of deaths and many costly illnesses including severe lower respiratory tract infections, stomach viruses and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. "Breastfeeding promotes good health, prevents diseases and reduces an infants risk of diabetes and obesity," said Jennifer Dellaport, nutritionist and breastfeeding coordinator at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The recent study looked at the prevalence of 10 common childhood illnesses, the cost of treating those diseases and the level of disease protection that other studies have linked to breastfeeding. The costs included medical care as well as indirect costs such as missed time from work. "What many people dont realize is breastfeeding reduces the cost of short- and long-term health care, and has minimal financial costs to a family," Dellaport said.

Approximately 200,000 U.S. children, most of whom are young infants, are hospitalized each year for diarrhea, at a cost of more than half a billion dollars. Many of these cases of diarrhea could have been prevented with exclusive breastfeeding. While experts recommend women breastfeed their babies exclusively for at least six months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports only about 22 percent of Colorado women actually follow this advice. According to Angela Smith, president of the International Lactation Consultant Association, many mothers choose not to begin breastfeeding or wean completely before the recommended time. "One of the biggest factors is that women do not always get the support they need from their community," she said.

Education on the importance of a breastfeeding support system is part of World Breastfeeding Week, Aug. 1-7. This years theme, "Breastfeeding: Just 10 Steps! The Baby-Friendly Way," celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Innocenti Declaration developed by the World Health Organization and United Nations Childrens Fund for the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding. The Innocenti Declaration includes the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, which encourages specific hospital birthing center practices, the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, to promote and support exclusive breastfeeding. There currently are only 93 "baby-friendly" designated hospitals in the United ...