> The Stuart News/Port St. Lucie News (Stuart, FL) 
> 
>               November 18, 2003 Tuesday MARTIN COUNTY EDITION 
> 
> SECTION: TODAY ON THE TREASURE COAST; Pg. D7 
> 
> LENGTH: 433 words 
> 
> HEADLINE: Breast-feeding deaths rare 
> 
> BYLINE: By Rachel Harris staff writer 
> 
> BODY: 
> Deaths associated with breast-feeding are so rare, experts say, that statistics are unavailable.
>  "Losing a baby while nursing is a very, very, very uncommon thing," says Lori Nelson, a licensed midwife in Stuart.
>  So uncommon, she says, that any risks of breast-feeding are easily outweighed by the benefits.  
>  Breast-fed babies have fewer allergies and less dental decay than babies fed formula, according to La Leche League International. They also benefit from appropriate jaw, teeth and speech development.
>  "Breast milk is uniquely designed for each baby," says Kim Lukat, a registered nurse and childbirth instructor in Palm City. "You won't find a baby allergic to breast milk."
>  Breast-fed babies also have higher IQs and lower incidences of asthma and cancer, says Rene Oswald, a registered nurse and certified lactation consultant in Palm Beach Gardens.
>  "Every time a baby nurses, she gets live antibodies to protect her from disease," she says.
>  And breast-feeding has benefits for the mother, too. "Women have a much lower incidence of pre-menstrual breast cancer if they breast-feed," Oswald says. "They have a much lower incidence of osteoporosis, and the incidence of all of the reproductive cancers decreases with breast-feeding."
>  There are several positions in which to breast-feed, Lukat says, and a mother should practice to see which position is best for her and baby.
>  These positions include breast-feeding in bed, though Carol Huotari with La Leche League International advises against breast-feeding on couches or on waterbeds. She suggests a flat bed with no pillows or blankets in which the infant can become tangled.
>  Most mothers breast-feed at least eight times a day, Huotari says, and falling asleep while nursing is not uncommon. But she says mothers typically have a heightened perception of their baby's movements and will wake up if the baby stirs.
>  Nelson advises against nursing in bed while the baby is only a few weeks old and may not be large enough to move away from the mother. But "once they get a little big bigger, there's no reason why you can't breast-feed while sleeping," she says. "It may be the only way you get sleep."
>  Lukat advises, also, that mothers who are nursing avoid consuming alcohol or drugs that may make them sleepy or impair their responses to their babies.
> For information
>  For more information on breastfeeding, visit these Web sites:
>  La Leche League International: www.lalecheleague.org
>  The Treasure Coast Breastfeeding Task Force: http://
>  tcbftaskforce.tripod.com/
>  - [log in to unmask] 
> 
> LOAD-DATE: November 19, 2003 
> 

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