Hi lactnetters:  Here is a copy of the info on WNBC.com today, some
positive but some negative review such as mom should not feel guilty if
they don't want to or can't breastfeed.  Also, that breastfeeding is often
hard to master, of course, we wouldn't have jobs if it was always easy, but
most of the time it is, which the article downplays. I hope I copied it
correctly, still learning how to do these things on the computer.
                            Warm regards,
                            Ellen Bane Mahony, RN, MS, LCCE,IBCLC
                            [log in to unmask]


New breastfeeding benefits reported


As reported by Dr. Max Gomez on NewsChannel4


New York, Jan. 23 -- “Breastfeeding is best feeding” is a broad, worldwide
consensus among medical professionals. Human breast milk is more digestible
and the mother’s antibodies found in her milk also help protect the baby
from infections. A new study found that there are still other benefits you
may be surprised to learn.

THERE'S LITTLE ARGUMENT that breastfeeding provides important health
benefits in developing countries where the water may be contaminated and
the food often is nutritionally lacking. But it appears many mothers and
doctors in developed countries like the United States and Canada may
underestimate the magnitude of the health benefits.


“The percentage of women that initiate breastfeeding is lower than it
should be, and of those women who start, many discontinue in the first few
months, and many introduce other foods too early,” said Dr. Michael Kramer
of Montreal’s McGill University Faculty of Medicine.


Reporting in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers
headed by Dr. Kramer studied more than 1,700 new mothers and their infants
in the former Soviet republic of Belarus.


Those exposed to a program designed to promote breastfeeding were more
likely to breastfeed their babies for the first year, and the babies in
this breastfeeding promotion group had significantly lower rates of
gastrointestinal infections, which usually cause diarrhea and a skin
inflammation called atopic eczema.


“We can recommend that even in developed country settings, not only like
Belarus, but like the U.S., Canada, Western Europe -- other developed
countries where there's clean water and adequate health facilities -- that
breastfeeding should be initiated whenever possible, that it should be
prolonged and exclusive whenever possible and that society and healthcare
facilities should do what they can to make that possible for mothers and
their babies,” Dr. Kramer said.


It appears the protective effect seen in this study may be due to
breastfeeding boosting the baby's immune system. The researchers plan on
following these children as they grow up to see whether breastfeeding also
has an impact on their intelligence, development and a variety of common
diseases.


Contrary to popular belief, breastfeeding is not instinctual for mother or
child; it's a learned skill that is sometimes difficult to master.


That's why the Breastfeeding Promotion Program depended heavily on
healthcare workers assisting and supporting the women in starting and
continuing to breastfeed.


And while mother's milk is best, you should not agonize if you are unable
to breastfeed. Baby's still thrive on modern infant formula, and there are
some mothers who should avoid breastfeeding, including those taking certain
medications and those with certain infections because both can be passed
along in breast milk.

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