In response for a reference request back in Feb (I am behind), CDC with FDA published an article showing that the more a mother breastfeeds her infant, the fewer episodes of diarrhea and ear infections the infant has. The article can be found at http://www.pediatrics.org. The reference is Scariati, Grummer-Strawn, and Fein, " Longitudinal Analysis of Infant Morbidity and the Extent of Breastfeeding in the United States." Pediatrics Vol. 99, #6, June 1997, p. e5. (It is on the electronic pages; abstract only in the hard copy journal.)