Hi Donna,

 Do you have the article itself? It is really hard to know from the Yale newsletter write up what the article actually measures. You are asking important questions, I just don’t know if they are considered in the article.

1. Indeed, moms do multi task when they are breastfeeding. How is that measured in economic models?

2.  Formula feeding also takes time and resources. I don’t know if this article is an economic comparison, or an analysis of breastfeeding alone.

3. Babies fed formula can be prepared and fed by others. I don’t know how that is accounted for in the article.

4. You are right that pregnancy and maternity leave impact career advancement, independent of breastfeeding. I’m sure there are analyses of how much breastfeeding alone impacts these things, but I am not familiar with them.



Economic models are imperfect, subject to many constraints that do not always reflect “real life.” We try to learn from them anyway and apply them as we can, keeping in mind that they models and not life.



I hope that the message taken from this research is policies should reflect the economic value of breastfeeding.



Naomi





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From: LACTNET automatic digest system <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>

Subject: LACTNET Digest - 19 Apr 2023 to 20 Apr 2023 (#2023-17)

Date: April 21, 2023 at 12:01:00 AM EDT

To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To: Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>



Date:    Fri, 21 Apr 2023 01:17:48 +0000

From:    Donna Goggin <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>

Subject: Cost of breastfeeding (Yale Study)



I have many questions regarding this study. One of the costs they talked about was pumping supplies, almost all moms are eligible for a pump through their insurance or Medicaid.  The pump is the big initial cost.  After that bags or bottles to pump into for storage.  Another cost was increased nutritional intake for mom.  Yes, food costs are up, but for about 500 additional calories a day, this again falls way short of adding up to $11,000 a year even including the Vitamin D for baby.

The most interesting was the time involved in breastfeeding of 3-4 hours a day. The study makes it sound like the woman can not work those 3-4 hours and thus is losing out on working for pay.  This is just having a baby issue whether the baby is breastfed or fed by formula, babies need to be fed.  Formula involves shopping, washing bottles, filling them, warming them up, and sitting down and feeding the baby. Pregnancy and maternity leave can hold a woman back in her career but that isn't a breastfeeding issue.

Sigh,Donna Goggin-Dolwick, RN, BSN, IBCLCNorthern Lower Michigan





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