I'm working with a 23 year old Native American female who iis in
her third trimester of pregnancy. She wanted me to find the pro's and
con's of breast feeding, which I did and I came across several articles
that mentioned the lowered incidence of SIDS with breast feeding. I know
that the incidence of SIDS in the Native American population is very high
compared to the occurances in other races. I have talked to three
physicans in this area about this topic and they all felt that this was a
thought of old.  They said that at one time the thought was that the
infants that died from SIDS were allergic to cows milk and so the mothers
were encouraged to breast feed their infants to reduce the risk of SIDS.
        According to the Utah Department of Health & Service, breast milk
contains antibodies and nutrients to keep your baby healthy.
        The Washington Post wrote, breast feeding may have a protective
effect against SIDS even if mothers only breast feed for a short time.
        If any one has more indepth information on this topic I would
appreciate hearing from you in the very near future.


                                                Thank you,

                                                Dorothea Olson