Breastfeeding Saves Lives :)

You all know I am a proponent of breastfeeding. I am certainly not out to make anyone who chooses not to feel guilty. I just want to make sure every new mom is making an informed decision. This new research may help more women breastfeed their babies longer because it could make the whole process easier. I hope so! My little guy is 7 months old now. This weekend he decided he wasn't going to nurse much because we were out of town. Even in a dark room, he couldn't stop looking around to see where he was. What a little stinker. So I had to pump and make him rice cereal to get him to take the milk. I just hope he isn't trying to ween already! That would be crazy!

FROM NBC:You've heard for years that breastfeeding is good for your baby. But did you know it can also save lives, and billions of dollars? That's what new research from Harvard suggests. Harvard found breastfeeding for at least the first few months could benefit both baby and mother.

Right now, 3 out of 4 new mothers start breastfeeding, but 6 months later- Just over 1 in 10 are still doing it exclusively. Harvard researchers report if 90 percent of all mothers breastfed that long, it could save 900 lives and 13 billion dollars a year.

Dr. Melissa Bartick, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School :"Women are just not getting the support that they need and people should not be blaming women and women should not be blaming themselves. We need to do much better for our moms and families in America." Like allowing women to breastfeed immediately after birth and providing time and space for mothers to pump breast milk at work.

The study says breastfed babies have a lower risk of asthma, diabetes, diarrhea, ear infections. And claims their moms are healthier, too: Dr. Melissa Bartick, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School :"The longer a woman breast feeds the lower her risk of heart attacks, high blood pressure, diabetes, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and cardiovascular disease in general."

In new policy starting this month, breastfeeeding may be considered in whether a hospital receives accreditation. And the new health care law requires large employers to provide private space for women to pump breast milk.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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