Newton Kansan
World Breastfeeding Week is Aug. 1 through 7. Breastfeeding is promoted by the world’s scientific and health institutions as the best nourishment for babies. Breastfeeding is safer and best for mother and baby. It is recommended babies be breastfed for six to 12 months.
Breastfeeding improves attachment between mother and baby, saves time and money, and can help mom lose those extra baby pounds by using up extra calories. Mothers who breastfeed also lower their own risk for breast, thyroid and ovarian cancers, lupus and osteoporosis. according to the United States Breastfeeding Committee. Formula feeding cannot provide the same protection and nutrition as breastfeeding. According to the 2008 Triangle Breastfeeding Alliance, “babies who are given formula are sick more often and are sicker when ill.” They also say formula-fed babies tend to have more colic, require more trips to the doctor and medicines for which the parents pay. The breastfeeding committee has a list of conditions that breastfeeding helps prevent, which includes SIDS, asthma, RSV, allergies, diabetes, poorer school performance, obesity and leukemia. Breastfeeding does not guarantee these conditions will not occur, but it does lower the risk for them. Formula feeding does affect the family financially. Cutting out the cost of formula alone would equal an annual economic stimulus check. A family that breastfeeds for the first year of the infant’s life will save $1,500 in formula costs. On a national scale, the Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater Los Angeles reports “$3.02 billion annually would be saved from household expenses because of the reduced cost of formula purchasing, family planning benefits and decreased health care expenditures countrywide.” Speaking of the national benefits, a public that supports breastfeeding also will see improved economic activity and lower healthcare costs. Task force documents show if “working mothers feed their infants breast milk for 100 work days, 27.3 percent less absenteeism would take place from work and 35.7 percent less healthcare claims would be filed ... If exclusive breastfeeding were practiced for the first 12 weeks of an infant’s life $2.16 billion annually would be saved because of less illness and disease countrywide.” The longer babies are breastfed, the greater the benefits to the national healthcare system. The task force reports an HMO would save $205 per year per infant who is breastfed at least six months. That’s 10 percent less than if the infant were bottle-fed. Overall, “$491,000 would be saved annually in healthcare costs by the HMO if 46 percent versus the current 26 percent of infants breastfed for the first six months of life.” Increased breastfeeding also will benefit federal government programs. Women, Infants and Children, also known as WIC, is a federal program that promotes infant, child and maternal nutrition and breastfeeding. The task force reports if all WIC mothers breastfed for one month, “$30 million would be saved in formula costs by the U.S. government” which are distributed through WIC. “If 75 percent of the women who participate in WIC breastfed for three months, $48 million would be saved.” There’s one more way we all benefit from breastfeeding. The California Department of Health Services points out breastfeeding helps the environment. Unlike formula, breast milk does not require fossil fuel to manufacture it or its packaging. It does not have to be hauled to another state by truck. It does not require plastic bottles or metal cans that fill landfills or need recycling. What should we do? If you are pregnant or a new mother, decide to breastfeed, and get some guidance if you have questions. As for the rest of us, we can support mothers to breastfeed. One way is for public establishments and other spaces to recognize breastfeeding as healthy, normal and socially acceptable. Do not discourage women from breastfeeding anywhere it would be deemed acceptable to bottle feed. Support working moms by making private space and break times available to allow them to pump and store the milk for their babies. Thanks to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and La Leche League International, women can be provided with a “Kansas License to breastfeed in public — It’s the law” card. The card reads “A mother may breastfeed in any place she has the right to be. The state of Kansas acknowledges breast milk to be the most complete form of nutrition for infants, with a range of benefits for infant’s health, growth, immunity and development” (HB 2284, 2006 session). Mothers are encouraged to report breastfeeding-friendly businesses as well as public places where they have been asked to leave. There are many breastfeeding resources in Harvey County: Best Beginnings is a walk-in weight check clinic at Newton Medical Center. It is open Tuesday and Thursday from noon to 2 p.m. for infants to age one year. An appointment can also be made with a lactation consultant regarding any breastfeeding problems for any infant whose doctor is connected with Newton Medical Center. La Leche League has meetings to promote and support breastfeeding. These are held at 7:15 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at Shalom Mennonite Church, 800 E. First St. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are invited. Children are welcome. At the Harvey County Health Department, 316 Oak St., 283-1637, there are registered nurses, a registered dietician and Healthy Start home visitors can provide information and assistance to breastfeeding mothers through the WIC program. WIC also provides healthy lifestyle education and supplemental foods to pregnant, delivered and breastfeeding women, infants and children up to age 5 years. Call the health department to see if your family qualifies. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a breastfeeding helpline open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST weekdays in English or Spanish. Call (800) 994-9662. For more information, visit their web site, www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding. For any assistance or further resources, contact the Harvey County Health Department. Jennifer Whiteside, RN, is with the Harvey County Health Department.