Saw this article on Yahoo this morning and couldn't resist posting it. As a Lactation Counselor, fighting big business at ever turn while trying to help new moms nurse their babies successfully, I am secretly thrilled someone is finally relating Successful breastfeeding to saving money on a large scale! its about time! Sad that it takes this to initiate big changes, but I will focus on the "big changes" and ignore the $$$$$$$.
By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner, Ap Medical Writer – 1 hr 53 mins ago
CHICAGO – The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women breast-fed their babies for the first six months of life, a cost analysis says.
Those startling results, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, are only an estimate. But several experts who reviewed the analysis said the methods and conclusions seem sound.
"The health care system has got to be aware that breast-feeding makes a profound difference," said Dr. Ruth Lawrence, who heads the American Academy of Pediatrics' breast-feeding section.
The findings suggest that there are hundreds of deaths and many more costly illnesses each year from health problems that breast-feeding may help prevent. These include stomach viruses, ear infections, asthma, juvenile diabetes, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and even childhood leukemia.
The magnitude of health benefits linked to breast-feeding is vastly underappreciated, said lead author Dr. Melissa Bartick, an internist and instructor at Harvard Medical School. Breast-feeding is sometimes considered a lifestyle choice, but Bartick calls it a public health issue.
Among the benefits: Breast milk contains antibodies that help babies fight infections; it also can affect insulin levels in the blood, which may make breast-fed babies less likely to develop diabetes and obesity.
The analysis studied the prevalence of 10 common childhood illnesses, costs of treating those diseases, including hospitalization, and the level of disease protection other studies have linked with breast-feeding.
The $13 billion in estimated losses due to the low breast-feeding rate includes an economists' calculation partly based on lost potential lifetime wages — $10.56 million per death.
The methods were similar to a widely cited 2001 government report that said $3.6 billion could be saved each year if 50 percent of mothers breast-fed their babies for six months. Medical costs have climbed since then and breast-feeding rates have increased only slightly.
About 43 percent of U.S. mothers do at least some breast-feeding for six months, but only 12 percent follow government guidelines recommending that babies receive only breast milk for six months.
Dr. Larry Gray, a University of Chicago pediatrician, called the analysis compelling and said it's reasonable to strive for 90 percent compliance.
But he also said mothers who don't breast-feed for six months shouldn't be blamed or made to feel guilty, because their jobs and other demands often make it impossible to do so.
"We'd all love as pediatricians to be able to carry this information into the boardrooms by saying we all gain by small changes at the workplace" that encourage breast-feeding, Gray said.
Bartick said there are some encouraging signs. The government's new health care overhaul requires large employers to provide private places for working mothers to pump breast milk. And under a provision enacted April 1 by the Joint Commission, a hospital accrediting agency, hospitals may be evaluated on their efforts to ensure that newborns are fed only breast milk before they're sent home.
The pediatrics academy says babies should be given a chance to start breast-feeding immediately after birth. Bartick said that often doesn't happen, and at many hospitals newborns are offered formula even when their mothers intend to breast-feed.
"Hospital practices need to change to be more in line with evidence-based care," Bartick said. "We really shouldn't be blaming mothers for this."
___
2 comments:
I understand what you are saying but not all mom's are able to breast feed. I wanted to terribly with both of my boys and tried everything. The milk never came. I took every herb, did any every home remedy. This is such a sensitive subject and is very hard for those of us who want too but just can't.
Green Acres,
As A mom, and a Lactation counselor, I totally Understand. I had a slew of problems with my first and eventually had to give up. I simply could not get the help I needed and had no milk to give. What I hope to see is the focus taken off formula feeding and moved towards helping moms when ever, and however possible. The problem for me is the "free formula" (truly meant to undermine moms) and the great lack of breastfeeding education amongst hospital staff including doctors and nurses, as well as pediatricians. Formula should be a "just in case" or last resort when all else has failed. What we don't realize is Formula is big business and clever marketing at its finest. The system as it is, is often sabotaging mom's and babies chances at any breastfeeding. Please understand, I mean no offense, But hospitals practices are corrupt and faulty. Formula companies are banking on, and profiting from, Moms and babies suffering physically, emotionally and financially. I'll be sure to post more on this topic. I could go on for months here.
Post a Comment