Barbara wrote:
> Robyn is concerned about population growth and wonders how breastfeeding
and
> healthier families impacts it. Actually, this was studied in a
fascinating
> article some years back.  The reference is:  Hanson,L and Bergstrom,S,
The
> Link Between Infant Mortality and Birth Rates - The Importance of
> Breastfeeding as a Common Factor, Acta Paediatr Scand 1990, 79:481-489.

<snip>

>They suggest
> that promoting better child survival thru increased bfg. will result in
> DECREASES in birth rate.


This has also been shown in historical studies from Western Europe. There
was shown a strong link between fertility rate, mortality rate and
breastfeeding rate. The breastfeeding rates differed significantly between
several areas in Europe, which was reflected in the birth and mortality
rates.

Some references to historical articles can be found on:
http://www.greatstar.com/lois/breastf.htm



regards,

Annelies Bon
Lay counsellor of the Dutch bf organization "Borstvoeding Natuurlijk"
Breastfeeding resources http://utopia.knoware.nl.users/abon/bfbronnen.htm

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