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
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Naomi Bar-Yam, Ph.D.
Director Emerita
Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast
Cell: 617-599-2902
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