Hi everyone,

        My Jan. 12 issue of TIME magazine arrived.  The form letter we
all received was apparantly an answer to this letter, which they printed.

"I am glad you Health Report recognized the Good News in our
recommendation, which promotes breast feeding (sic) babies for at least a
year.  Unfortunately, by saying feeding takes six hours a day, you
neglected to mention that only newborns require that much time for
feeding (whether by bottle or breast).  As infants grow, they require
fewer feedings each day and the amount of time diminishes.  We hope you
have not inadvertently discouraged women from nursing by exaggerating the
time required after the newborn period.  The bottom line is that any
amount of time spent breast feeding (sic) benefits both mother and child."

                        Joseph R. Zanga, MD, President
                        American Academy of Pediatrics
                        Elk Grove Village, ILL


A second letter reads:

"Babies fed formula in bottles should be held and attended to, and the
mother can expend even more time (heating, mixing, shaking and testing)
than she would breast feeding. (sic) We can't expect babies to zoom up to
a bottle like cars at a gas station.  Surelyparents who use bottles can
be just as in touch with their babies as breast-feeding (sic) mothers.
Maybe bottle and breastfeeding, done properly, take the same amount of time."

                                Melissa Noble
                                Yokasuka, Japan

'nuff said.


Margery Forrest
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