Breast Cancer, SIDS and your baby
Everyone has heard, "Breast Is Best".
American women today, fueled by misinformation, lack of support or freedom of choice, often choose not to breastfeed their babies. The few who do breastfeed don't do it very long or exclusively. "Exclusively" means without formula supplements, juice, or baby foods. The current recommendation (American Academy of Pediatrics) is for all babies to receive only breastmilk for the first 6 months of life, and to nurse for at least a year or longer. Yet in Illinois, only 11% of babies are receiving any breastmilk by 6 months of age.
Many women feed their babies according to their doctor's advice. Most doctors will tell you "breast is best, but formula is ok too". A doctor should not be telling a woman that formula is "ok too". If they were educated on the topic of breastmilk vs. formula, they would know that formula should not be presented as an acceptable substitute for breastfeeding when it comes to infant health. Unfortunately, doctors are taught to prescribe, and formula feeding offers an easy way for a doctor dictate in specifics...he can tell you how many ounces, how often are needed to meet your baby's caloric requirements. Breastfeeding is not as easy for a physician to monitor, as you can't measure the ounces of milk a baby gets from the breast. This is not to say that there aren't accurate ways to ascertain that a baby is getting enough when they are breastfed - it just means that most doctors aren't taught that way. Physicians also recommend other unhealthy feeding practices, such as rice cereal or other solid foods before the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines of 4-6 months of age....my point is, what or how to feed your baby is usually not a decision that a physician needs to make for a healthy newborn.
Studies have found that for every year a woman breastfeeds, her risk of breast cancer declines by 4%. Considering that the average woman (without inherited mutations...which is not the same as having someone in your family who has had breast cancer) has only a .3% chance of getting breast cancer, you can see that in most cases, exclusive, extended (at least to age 1) breastfeeding can absolutely reduce or eliminate your risk of breast cancer.
If you have a daughter, it is especially important to nurse.
Women who were breastfed as infants, even if only for a short time, showed an approximate 25% lower risk of developing premenopausal or postmenopausal breast cancer, compared to women who were bottle-fed as an infant.
Source: Freudenheim, J. "Exposure to breast milk in infancy and the risk of breast cancer." Epidemiology 1994 5:324-331
Get an idea of your risk of breast cancer here, and then factor in that your risk is reduced every year you breastfeed. My risk is 0%. Maybe yours could be too.
You can read more about breastfeeding and breast cancer here.
It's not only breast cancer risk you lower by breastfeeding, also uterine, ovarian and endometrial cancer.
It's a year of your life that could save your life, or that of your child!
Finding a cure is important. There are many women who never have biological children or are past childbearing age who need to live! But to bank on a cure and choose not to breastfeed is risky behavior. Especially if you are a smoker or have used the birth control pill in the past.
SIDS
Sudden infant death syndrome is the single most important cause of newborn mortality, striking approximately two infants per 1000 live births in the U.S. Exclusive breastfeeding cuts the risk in half. Your healthy newborn has a .2% chance of dying from SIDS if they are not breastfed. Factor in prematurity, low birth weight or having had a previous child die from SIDS and the risk is higher. If your child is a twin, their risk is doubled.
If you sleep with your baby on a sofa, the risk goes up. If your baby sleeps alone in a crib, the risk goes up. If you follow safe co-sleeping guidelines, several well-designed research studies demonstrate that SIDS is actually reduced in babies cosleeping along with an aware, protective (non-smoking, non-drug-impaired) mother in a safe bed.
The Chicago Infant Mortality Study reveals that Breastfeeding Infants have 1/5th the Rate of SIDS as their formula-fed counterparts. There are two kinds of cosleeping, a conscious decision made by highly attentive parents, and that coming from factors such as fatigue from partying or drinking. When sofa sleeping and wedging dangers are removed, the family bed with a breastfeeding mother shines as safest.
In countries/societies where breastfeeding and co-sleeping are the norm, SIDS rates are astronomically lower. Central and South America's rates have the lowest incidence of SIDS (.13%, or 1 in 7,598). Raising your child in a "natural" way, by holding your baby as much as possible (avoiding hours a day in swings, bouncers, walkers, etc), breastfeeding, and sleeping safely with your baby keeps you and your baby safer and healthier than modern practices of Baby Einstein videos and bottle propping.
It's never too late to choose to breastfeed your baby...a committed woman can relactate!
:)
American women today, fueled by misinformation, lack of support or freedom of choice, often choose not to breastfeed their babies. The few who do breastfeed don't do it very long or exclusively. "Exclusively" means without formula supplements, juice, or baby foods. The current recommendation (American Academy of Pediatrics) is for all babies to receive only breastmilk for the first 6 months of life, and to nurse for at least a year or longer. Yet in Illinois, only 11% of babies are receiving any breastmilk by 6 months of age.
Many women feed their babies according to their doctor's advice. Most doctors will tell you "breast is best, but formula is ok too". A doctor should not be telling a woman that formula is "ok too". If they were educated on the topic of breastmilk vs. formula, they would know that formula should not be presented as an acceptable substitute for breastfeeding when it comes to infant health. Unfortunately, doctors are taught to prescribe, and formula feeding offers an easy way for a doctor dictate in specifics...he can tell you how many ounces, how often are needed to meet your baby's caloric requirements. Breastfeeding is not as easy for a physician to monitor, as you can't measure the ounces of milk a baby gets from the breast. This is not to say that there aren't accurate ways to ascertain that a baby is getting enough when they are breastfed - it just means that most doctors aren't taught that way. Physicians also recommend other unhealthy feeding practices, such as rice cereal or other solid foods before the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines of 4-6 months of age....my point is, what or how to feed your baby is usually not a decision that a physician needs to make for a healthy newborn.
Studies have found that for every year a woman breastfeeds, her risk of breast cancer declines by 4%. Considering that the average woman (without inherited mutations...which is not the same as having someone in your family who has had breast cancer) has only a .3% chance of getting breast cancer, you can see that in most cases, exclusive, extended (at least to age 1) breastfeeding can absolutely reduce or eliminate your risk of breast cancer.
If you have a daughter, it is especially important to nurse.
Women who were breastfed as infants, even if only for a short time, showed an approximate 25% lower risk of developing premenopausal or postmenopausal breast cancer, compared to women who were bottle-fed as an infant.
Source: Freudenheim, J. "Exposure to breast milk in infancy and the risk of breast cancer." Epidemiology 1994 5:324-331
Get an idea of your risk of breast cancer here, and then factor in that your risk is reduced every year you breastfeed. My risk is 0%. Maybe yours could be too.
You can read more about breastfeeding and breast cancer here.
It's not only breast cancer risk you lower by breastfeeding, also uterine, ovarian and endometrial cancer.
It's a year of your life that could save your life, or that of your child!
Finding a cure is important. There are many women who never have biological children or are past childbearing age who need to live! But to bank on a cure and choose not to breastfeed is risky behavior. Especially if you are a smoker or have used the birth control pill in the past.
SIDS
Sudden infant death syndrome is the single most important cause of newborn mortality, striking approximately two infants per 1000 live births in the U.S. Exclusive breastfeeding cuts the risk in half. Your healthy newborn has a .2% chance of dying from SIDS if they are not breastfed. Factor in prematurity, low birth weight or having had a previous child die from SIDS and the risk is higher. If your child is a twin, their risk is doubled.
If you sleep with your baby on a sofa, the risk goes up. If your baby sleeps alone in a crib, the risk goes up. If you follow safe co-sleeping guidelines, several well-designed research studies demonstrate that SIDS is actually reduced in babies cosleeping along with an aware, protective (non-smoking, non-drug-impaired) mother in a safe bed.
The Chicago Infant Mortality Study reveals that Breastfeeding Infants have 1/5th the Rate of SIDS as their formula-fed counterparts. There are two kinds of cosleeping, a conscious decision made by highly attentive parents, and that coming from factors such as fatigue from partying or drinking. When sofa sleeping and wedging dangers are removed, the family bed with a breastfeeding mother shines as safest.
In countries/societies where breastfeeding and co-sleeping are the norm, SIDS rates are astronomically lower. Central and South America's rates have the lowest incidence of SIDS (.13%, or 1 in 7,598). Raising your child in a "natural" way, by holding your baby as much as possible (avoiding hours a day in swings, bouncers, walkers, etc), breastfeeding, and sleeping safely with your baby keeps you and your baby safer and healthier than modern practices of Baby Einstein videos and bottle propping.
It's never too late to choose to breastfeed your baby...a committed woman can relactate!
:)