I love breastfeeding my kids.  As a doctor, I know the science shows the health benefits of breastfeeding to be almost miraculous.  And as a mom, it’s a bonding time, a time to just take a break to hold and love my babies.  I guess both reasons are why I’m still nursing my [...]]]>

photo by Alexander Tundakov

I love breastfeeding my kids.  As a doctor, I know the science shows the health benefits of breastfeeding to be almost miraculous.  And as a mom, it’s a bonding time, a time to just take a break to hold and love my babies.  I guess both reasons are why I’m still nursing my almost 2-year-old.  He’s my last, and we both enjoy the time together, especially when he’s sick, tired, or just needs comforting.  I feel bad for my mom who had fight public opinion to breastfeed us when we were kids (the 1970’s).  Back the, many considered formula to be more scientific, cleaner, and perfect.

Well, the number crunchers finally put together a new pediatric study to figure out how much money we could save if 90% of mothers would breastfeed for the first 6 months of life.  They added up the costs of all the illnesses that could be decreased by breastfeeding, along with the loss of lifetime earning from the almost 900 babies a year whose lives would be saved by breastfeeding.  The answer = 13 billion dollars.

Here’s their list of illnesses that are decreased or prevented by breastfeeding.

• stomach viruses
• ear infections
• asthma
• juvenile diabetes
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
• childhood leukemia

I guess my point is that while many consider breastfeeding a lifestyle choice, we should be more aware of the phenomenal health benefits it offers.  How much is that worth to you and your baby?  And even if a mom initially has trouble breastfeeding, a lactation consultant or the experienced advice from a La Leche League member can make all the difference.

Before you object, I know there are some who are unable to breastfeed.  I’m not criticizing them.  It’s just that many women who choose formula simply for convenience or personal preference have no idea the health benefits they are giving up. 

Benefits of breastfeeding:  A few, but by no means all of them:

• Babies are more resistant to disease and infection.
• Babies have a 3 times lower chance of being hospitalized with a severe lung infections.
• Babies have 3-4 times lower incidence of diarrheal diseases.
• Babies have lots fewer ear infections, which means less antibiotics and all their side effects, like thrush and diarrheal problems.
• Babies have less type 1 diabetes.
• Less SIDS
• Less eczema and allergies.  It especially helps babies whose parents have allergies.
• Childhood cancer is eight times lower in babies breastfed exclusively for 6 months.
• Less disease = less likely to die.
• Breastfed babies develop fewer cavities over their lives.
• If you’re breastfed exclusively for the first 3 months of your life, you are 20 – 30% less likely to become obese.  (in America only about 12% breastfeed exclusively for 6 months)
• Breastfed babies have higher IQ and increased cognitive development.
• Babies have fewer psychological, behavior, and learning problems.
• You’re less likely to have heart disease and you’ll average a lower blood pressure if you were breastfed as an infant.
• Mothers are less likely to develop osteoporosis later in life.
• Mothers are more able to lose pregnancy weight.
• The hormone released during nursing, oxytocin, helps mom’s uterus return to normal size more quickly, which decreases postpartum bleeding and hemorrhaging.
• Mothers have a lower risk of breast, uterine, endometrial and ovarian cancer.
• It helps mom’s emotional health, building a stronger connection to baby, and fewer feelings of anxiety.
• It’s cheaper!  About $800 a year, cheaper.
• It’s cheaper for society – one study showed a group of nursing babies having $4,000 in health care costs versus $68,000 for an equal number of formula-fed babies.
• Etc., etc.

It’s really an amazing list!  Did you have any idea?  I know I didn’t.  Do most women?  I wish more women and more doctors knew this information and would share it widely.

What do you think about breastfeeding?  You’re welcome to leave a link to something you’ve written on the subject.

Other links:

• Babycenter article on the benefits of breastfeeding
• Wikipedia article on breastfeeding
• NRDC breastfeeding benefit article

Enjoy!

We’ve all had one of those days with kids screaming, trying to make dinner, scouts or soccer practice in 30 minutes, and in desperation, you turn on the TV.  Sometimes it’s almost a miracle.  The kids’ eyes whip over to the screen, they stop moving, sit down, and peace descends on the house [...]]]>

Photo by futurestreet

We’ve all had one of those days with kids screaming, trying to make dinner, scouts or soccer practice in 30 minutes, and in desperation, you turn on the TV.  Sometimes it’s almost a miracle.  The kids’ eyes whip over to the screen, they stop moving, sit down, and peace descends on the house and you’re able to get some work done.

However, like many parents, I try to encourage my kids to be well rounded, some TV, but definitely time to work together, play games, build legos, etc. 

What I didn’t realize was how much TV watching may impact our babies under age 2.  Check out this article by LiveScience:  “TV Causes Learning Lag in Infants“.  A new study shows that babies in front of the TV get a lot less interaction time with the adults around.  They said that for every hour the television was on, a baby heard over 700 fewer words from adults.  So, it isn’t just the baby watching the TV, but the fact that we don’t interact as much with our children when we’re distracted by the television.  And when a baby’s brain is tripling in size during those early years, they really need interaction and language to develop.

In our age of electronic media, a study like this is a call for us to pay a bit more attention to interaction with our kids.  That’s how they learn.  Maybe we can work on returning to ‘old style’ entertainment like catch, Uno, hide and seek, and the like . . . Just not when I’m trying to make dinner

Instructions:

Have you ever tried to hold an ice cube to the lip of a screaming toddler after he has fallen for the umpteenth time and smashed his lip?  Yes, the “It’ll hurt now, but make it get better faster,” argument falls on deaf ears.  Yours and his.

Next time, get a popsicle!  Yes, in the [...]]]> Quick tip:

Have you ever tried to hold an ice cube to the lip of a screaming toddler after he has fallen for the umpteenth time and smashed his lip?  Yes, the “It’ll hurt now, but make it get better faster,” argument falls on deaf ears.  Yours and his.

Next time, get a popsicle!  Yes, in the long tradition of “Why, did I not think of that?”, it’s a simple solution and you’re both happy.  Teach him to paint his lips with the lovely neon blue color of the popsicle to make sure the whole injury gets iced down, and if he wants another?  Why, today is a special day, and he can have as many as he wants.

Instead of a traumatic DocMom moment, you might find him banging his lip again just for the popsicles.

DocMisty

P.S. It doesn’t work so well with bruises elsewhere, but you’re welcome to try.