Here, at long last, is the translation of Fiona's brochure, almost, but
not quite Wiessingerized.
I might have made a couple of mistakes in the terminology, but I think
this is it.
BREASTFEEDING
has many advantages
for children
for mothers
for society
“As a thick blanket shields this baby from the cold, breastfeeding
offers protection against illnesses and infections that could prove
life-threatening.”
Unicef, 1999 - Breastfeeding: A Blueprint for Policy Makers (not
sure of document title)
Five societal strategies for reducing
the use of commercial formula
1. Government funding for institutional and community services
The implementation in every hospital of the Baby-Friendly
Initiative
Support for breastfeeding counsellors in clinical and community
settings, e.g. breastfeeding clinics, promotion and funding of
support groups...
2. Legislation to entrench the International Code of Marketing
Breast-milk Substitutes
Action against corporations, pharmaceutical companies, etc.
3. Social programmes to encourage breastfeeding
$50. monthly supplement for social assistance recipients who are
breastfeeding
Longer maternity leaves
Longer and more widespread access to E.I. benefits
Work schedules, workplace facilities and services that facilitate
breastfeeding
Officially recognized public spaces that are breastfeeding-friendly
4. Provincial government policies on breastfeeding
5. Continuing education for all health-care professional in the
area of breastfeeding and the integration of breastfeeding
education in health sciences programmes
A breastfeeding-friendly society: when will it happen?
Artificially fed children face a higher risk of suffering from the
following diseases:
-bronchiolitis
-gastro-enteritis
-necromanzing enterocolitis
-dental caries
-allergies
-cancer
-juvenile diabetes
-otitis
-s.i.d.s.
-meningitis (premature babies)
-urinary infection
-breast cancer
-leukemia
-inflammatory bowel disease (?)
Artificially fed children face a higher risk of:
-delayed motor and social development at 4 mos.
-lower mental development at 18 mos.
-reduced learning ability at 3 yrs.
-lower i.q. at 11 - 16 yrs.
Women who breastfeed have a lower risk of:
-ovarian cancer
-osteoporosis
-endometriosis
-breast cancer
-iron-deficiency anemia
Not breastfeeding: enormous costs to society
1. Babies who aren breastfed, on average, are sicker and more
costly
Estimate of additional costs to the health system from the four
most frequently diagnosed illnesses in non-breastfed babies in the
U.S. (U.S. $, including prescriptions, consultations and
hospitalizations)
-infantile diarrhea $290,000,000/yr
-respiratory virus $225,000,000/yr
-insulin-dependent diabetes $9,000,000 to $124,000,000/yr
-otitis media $660,000,000/yr
It costs the American government, then, approximately a
billion dollars more each year to treat non-breastfed babies
(Riordan, 1997)
An American baby who is not breastfed costs $1435 more each
year in health care costs than a baby breastfed for six months or
more. (Kaiser Org., HMO, U.S. (real value))
2. Breastmilk substitutes are more costly to our citizens
Buying breastmilk substitutes costs a family three times more than
the additional food required to nourish a mother who is
breastfeeding.
3. Non-breastfed babies, on average, have a lower intellectual
development...
On a societal scale, it is impossible to place a dollar figure on
the cost of a lower intellectual development in the population of
children who were not breastfed...
In the end, as a society, what do non-breastfed babies cost us?
c. Regional breastfeeding committee for Quebec City, QC / "le comité
régional en allaitement de Québec"
Carrefour d'Information: The breastfed baby and his family.
Slogan: Mommy's Milk: My Formula 1
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