SIDS.
Obesity.
Diabetes.
Allergic Disease.
Breast and Ovarian Cancers.
It's hard to argue that these are not pressing public health issues. They are. Especially when the obesity, diabetes, and allergic disease are occurring in increasing numbers in our nation's children. And when feminine cancers are striking women at younger ages.
Knowing that these are public health issues, we must examine why they are happening and what we can do to correct these alarming trends.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has done that. And in a bold statement, they have announced that "infant feeding should not be considered as a lifestyle choice but rather as a basic health issue." Because all those problems- and more- are related to infant feeding choices.
Basing their recommendations on published peer-reviewed scientific research, the AAP has laid out a strong argument and have concluded that:
breastfeeding and the use of human milk confer unique nutritional and nonnutritional benefits to the infant and the mother and, in turn, optimize infant, child, and adult health as well as child growth and development. Recently, published evidence-based studies have confirmed and quantitated the risks of not breastfeeding.
These are risks that extend to mothers as well as children. Risks that the AAP feels are great enough to warrant a policy that babies should be exclusively breastfed for 6 months before the introduction of complimentary solids, and that breastfeeding should continue for a full year, and longer as mutually desired.
Risks that mean the AAP no longer feels comfortable saying that infant feeding is a parenting choice based on convenience or personal preference. Infant feeding is now a health matter, like vaccines, sleep positions, and medical treatments for health disorders.
I hope this means that pediatricians and obstetricians will take a more active approach in assisting mothers to achieve healthy and successful breastfeeding. In fact, that is what the AAP policy statement concludes ("the pediatrician’s role in advocating and supporting proper breastfeeding practices is essential and vital".) I also hope that pediatricians will begin to put pressure onto milk banks to help make breast milk more widely available and affordable to mothers who are struggling with breastfeeding. I would love to see WIC subsidize breastmilk through milk banks... I'd much rather my tax dollars go there than towards pre-mixed name-brand infant formula! Maybe this will help to clarify that the medical community has identified formula as inferior to breastmilk, and subdue some of the resistance to breastfeeding from the general public.
More importantly, I hope women are able to view this not as a judgement of their past parenting choices, but as a stepping stone to making the best choices for their children going forward. People who know better, do better. And with the right education and support, we all can do better.
What do you think? Is the AAP out of line for saying that infant feeding is no longer a lifestyle choice?
2 times the fun!:
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for posting this! I live in a place where I have access to only 1 pediatrician (how's that for choice!) and she is most definitely not pro-nursing. I am going to make a copy of this and try very, very hard not to be immature and go ppptttthhhhhh in her face. No really though, it is good to have The Big Guys back me up in my decision to go on nursing my baby and not give her formula because she's "underweight". I don't think the AAP is out of line at all, if anything, it's about time!
I think this bold statement by the AAP is incredible! I'd be interested to hear what kind of pushback they are receiving (if any) and how the public responds to this news over time. Doctors/pediatricians/obstetriciansetc. have so much influence in what they do and say, and I hope we see a real revolution with all of this change.
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