Dear Editor,
I would like to compliment you on the positive article on breastfeeding,
entitled "Decent Exposure" by Paula Spencer.
The article is very balanced and points out so many of the advantages of
breastfeeding.

I work as a pediatric nurse practitioner in an area that has few breastfed
babies.  It is so  sad to see the poor health results of not being
breastfed, the skin rashes, ear aches and asthma.  I wish my little
patients' mothers would breastfeed and for a long time, at least a year, as
the American Academy of Pediatrics advises.  Breastfeeding and bottle
feeding aren't simply interchangeable.  Bottle feeding costs more than just
the formula and bottles.  A healthy breastfed baby is a pleasure to care
for and live with.  A baby who itches, hurts, or wheezes all the time isn't
much fun  to have at home.  They require  a lot of care  and so many more
doctors visits and medicines.

I wish mothers got good breastfeeding information  from the hospital and
their health care providers.  Thank you  for helping to fill the void by
giving mothers good information in this article.

Sincerely, Patricia Young, RN, MSN, CPNP, IBCLC