Well, it's no news that breastfeeding saves money. You have your newborns meals on you at all times, free of cost. According to a new study in the journal Pediatrics nearly 1,000 lives and billions of dollars would be saved each year if new moms would breastfeed their babies for the first six months.
According to a 2009 breastfeeding report from the CDC, out of 74 percent of women who start to breastfeed, only 33 percent continue for three months, and only 14 percent go a full six months.
The most excess cost due to lack of breastfeeding are premature deaths. Nearly 95 percent of premature deaths are attributed to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS); necrotizing enterocolitis,and lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia. Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the risk of all these and other illnesses.
It's not the mother's fault for the low rates of breastfeeding, it's the lack of knowledge, support, and maternity care.
So if you are or going to be a new mother. Do your research on breastfeeding and do what's right for you.
Tags