The duration of breastfeeding is inversely related to pediatric overweight. In Harder, et al., the greater the duration of breastfeeding, the lower the odds of overweight. For each month of breastfeeding up to age 9 months, the odds of overweight decreased by 4%. This decline resulted in more than a 30% decrease in the odds of overweight for a child breastfed for nine months when the comparison was with a child never breastfed.

— Am J Epidemiol 162: 397–403, 2005

In the United States, of infants born in 2004, almost three-fourths of mothers (73.8%) initiated breastfeeding shortly after birth. This represents an increase since the year 2000. Twenty-one states achieved the national Healthy People 2010 objective of 75% of mothers initiating breastfeeding.

— www.cdc.gov/Features/Breastfeeding/ Accessed 19 Aug 2007

To kick off Oregon’s Breastfeeding Promotion Month, Dr. Susan Allan, Public Health Director for Oregon Department of Human Services, presented “Maternity Care Best Practices” awards to 15 area hospitals which have eliminated formula sample packs from the discharge bags customarily given to mothers as they head home with their new babies. Portland is the first city in the nation to have both public and private hospitals ban the formula sample packs since the launch of the national “Ban the Bag” campaign one year ago.

“The bags are not free,” says Amelia Psmythe, Executive Director of the Nursing Mothers Counsel of Oregon, “we are all paying for them through the decrease in breastfeeding rates and associated increase in health problems. Mothers who want the free formula can request it from the formula companies, but hospitals should market health and nothing else.”

(Source)

Posted in breastfeeding & written by Niki —