Whilst it's always good publicity to see outcomes like this, I was 
immediately anxious about the PROBIT study and the need to deprive thousands 
of Belarus mothers and their babies in the control group of the 
'intervention' (breastfeeding support along BFHI principles), and thus the 
benefits of breastfeeding or prolonged breastfeeding to both.

There was research showing cognitive benefits, but for the purposes of 
proving that breastfeeding babies are smarter, thousands of mothers weren't 
encouraged to breastfeed ?? The difference in numbers breastfeeding at 3 
months is significant (see below).

I hope other researchers don't feel the need to replicate the study as often 
happens. Personally, I find it very difficult ethically when we know that 
not-to-breastfeed has important health deficits, the intervention 
(breastfeeding support) was denied to thousands of mothers. I acknowledge 
that Belarus now has more evidence to support BFHI, but just because the 
babies might be smarter was the impetus for this ?

A retrospective study, with its imperfections, seems preferable to me. Maybe 
I'm missing something  !

>>>>>>>>
The experimental intervention led to a large increase in exclusive 
breastfeeding at age 3 months (43.3% for the experimental group vs 6.4% for 
the control group...  CONCLUSION: These results, based on the largest 
randomized trial ever conducted in the area of human lactation, provide 
strong evidence that prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding improves 
children's cognitive development.
>>>>>>>>>

Jan Cornfoot
Breastfeeding Advocate
Publisher of Birth Issues, a peer reviewed journal 1992-2006
www.capersbookstore.com.au

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