"Breast milk is twice as good".  This was the large heading that
greeted me inside today's local newspaper.  It goes on to report that
the American Acedemy of Pediatricians is expected to release a policy
statement this summer stressing thar breastfeeding should be the
first option for newborns, and not the alternative.  Apparently, new,
carefully designed studies have suggested that breastmilk is not only
better, but almost twice as good as formula at protecting babies from
infections.

Now, I would dispute much of what my newspaper says on the grounds
that it under-rates breastmilk, but since Marianne Neifert is quoted
as saying "This is the strongest thing I've ever seen come out of
the academy", then I guess we can be optimistic.  She goes on to say
that the policy "has a lot of strong statements in it".  For
example, (she is quoted as saying) instead of saying something like,
"Formula is the closest thing to breast milk," the new policy will
say, "Formula is a distant second".

Now that sounds more like a quotable quote.  All the way from Denver
to my local rag in Hobart, Tasmania.  Did it make the news yet in the
USA, or did it get suppressed?  Once it is in the news, what is the
lag time before some dreadful scare story about breastfeeding will
hit the press again - or do they save them up for World Breastfeeding
Week?

Ros Escott
Tasmania, Australia