No such thing as a free lunch: The direct marginal costs of breastfeeding -
PubMed (nih.gov) <https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36949157/>
That is all that I can find without hours of searching. The references are
all seemingly pro-breastfeeding (I didn't have time to look at each), and I
have NOT been able to uncover a funding source.
Rebecca
On Thu, Apr 20, 2023 at 7:40 PM Naomi Bar-Yam <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> A couple of thoughts about the article in Yale newspaper about cost of
> breastfeeding. :
>
> 1. This is a news article about some research. Without seeing the research
> publication, it’s hard to know what the research was and what the findings
> were.
>
> 2. Economics research is about what you measure and the
> parameters/constraints put on what you are researching. Similar
> calculations have been done multiple times in multiple countries and
> settings. The findings vary widely largely because the variables,
> parameters and constraints vary widely.
>
> 3. We all know that breastfeeding is not free. As the article points out,
> there are concrete costs, such as bags and other supplies as well as
> opportunity costs. What else could be done with the same time and
> resources? Most of the $11,000 comes from opportunity costs.
>
> 4. This means that breastfeeding moms and families are contributing
> $11,000 of present and future health for themselves and their children, and
> lower health care costs for society as a whole - for free!! There is a
> growing literature on and call for including breastfeeding is national GDP
> calculations. Much of the care work in our society is done for free by
> family and friends. But it is productive work and including it in GDP would
> give us a very different economic picture, and, as this article suggests
> would help inform policies.
>
> 5. The costs of formula feeding ("$760 to $2280
> <https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/costs-breastfeeding-formula/> in 2020"
> ) are higher than the article indicates. There is a difference between
> the cost of purchasing formula and the cost of using formula, including
> short and long term illnesses, parents’ missed work to care for sick
> children, environmental costs of manufacturing, packaging, etc.
>
> 6. I found the Yale article confusing. It did not communicate clearly the
> connection between the $11,000 cost estimate of breastfeeding and creating
> policies that support breastfeeding and reduce barriers.
>
> If anyone has access to the article itself, I’d love to see it.
>
>
> Naomi
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------
> Naomi Bar-Yam, Ph.D.
> Director Emerita
> Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast
> Cell: 617-599-2902
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
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