Breastfeeding - a mother's right and a baby's need!

Last year, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygine launched the "Latch On NYC" program to support the mother's decision to breastfeed as opposed to formula feed their babies! I definitely agree and support all aspects of the program and I'm very glad with the initiative. However, I'd like to see a realistic support from the government to allow the moms breastfeed their babies, such as extending the maternal leave period, from the currently ridiculous 3 month period to 6 months.

I breastfed my daughter until she was 2, and when she was 4 months old I started attending college. Only myself and my beloved super nanny can tell how much trouble I went through to be able to keep breastfeeding. I was doing 2 trips home in the middle of the afternoon to breastfeed my daughter or just to pump in order to empty my breasts, because there was no place in school where I could pump my milk safely and comfortably. Ladies Restroom? forget it... So, I feel lucky for having had a great nanny and a not so long commute to school (30 min), where I could go home and feed my baby. And what about those moms who don't have the same conditions that I did? I feel that they should at least, have the opportunity to choose what to feed their babies, and not be forced to use an expensive and inferior human milk substitute!!!  



I know there are many mom's who prefer to feed their babies formula than human milk, due to various reason. But I also believe that there are moms out there who would rather breastfeed and can't do it because of their socioeconomic status! Isn't that more obscene than having your tits out in public?

Interestingly, if you take a look at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines to breastfeeding, you'll see that they recommend exclusive breastfeeding the baby through the age of 6 months.

"The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)reaffirms its recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for about the first six months of a baby's life, followed by breastfeeding in combination with the introduction of complementary foods until at least 12 months of age, and continuation of breastfeeding for as long as mutually desired by mother and baby."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) also recommend exclusive breastfeeding until an infant is six months.

 Nice words right?


So shouldn't have been better communication between the different public health related organs and the  government of the United States???


Latch On NYC

A hospital‐based initiative to support a mother’s decision to breastfeed

Background

•  Breastfeeding is a healthier choice than infant formula for mothers and babies.

- Breastfeeding reduces a mother’s risk of breast and ovarian cancers.

- Breastfeeding reduces an infant’s risk of ear, respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, and

asthma, and promotes maternal bonding and optimal growth and development.

•  Formula feeding markedly increases serious health risks for infants, including:

                - 257% excess risk of hospitalization for lower respiratory infection

                - 178% excess risk of diarrhea and vomiting

    - 100% excess risk of acute ear infections

                - 67% excess risk of asthma for infants with a family history of asthma (35% for infants with no

family history of asthma)

Ninety percent (90%) of NYC mothers start breastfeeding. However, by the time the baby reaches two months, only 31% of NYC mothers are still exclusively breastfeeding. These suboptimal rates result in excess health care costs and preventable infant illness and death.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend exclusive breastfeeding until an infant is six months old to obtain the full health benefits for mothers and infants.

In 2011, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding, identifying key actions to improve support of breastfeeding, including ensuring “that the marketing of infant formula is conducted in a way that minimizes its negative impacts on exclusive breastfeeding.”

• The top three reasons mothers give for discontinuing breastfeeding can be addressed through adequate education and support during pregnancy, at delivery and after childbirth:

                “I thought I was not producing enough milk” (47%)

    “Breast milk alone did not satisfy my baby” (44%)

                “My baby had difficulty latching or nursing” (27%)

While New York State (NYS) regulations state that breastfeeding infants should not be supplemented with formula feedings in the hospital unless medically indicated, 93% of NYC births occur in hospitals where healthy breastfed infants are supplemented with infant formula. In a nationwide ranking of states, NYS ranks next to worst in breastfed infants receiving supplementary formula in the hospital. Infant formula promotion interferes with breastfeeding.

 Women who choose to breastfeed are less likely to exclusively breastfeed and breastfeed for a

shorter duration if their newborn infants receive formula supplementation or receive hospital discharge packs with formula.

 Distribution of infant formula promotional items through medical providers and institutions

sends mixed messages to mothers about their ability to successfully breastfeed.

Giving infant formula to a breastfed baby, particularly in the first few days after birth, decreases

an infant’s ability to breastfeed on demand and can reduce a mother’s milk supply.

•  When hospitals stop promoting infant formula, mothers are more likely to exclusively breastfeed their babies.

After Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) hospitals discontinued providing infant formula
samples at hospital discharge and implemented other practices to support breastfeeding, the
exclusive breastfeeding rate at eight weeks following delivery increased by 21%, with no change
in rates for mothers delivering at non‐HHC facilities.
 

Latch On NYC

•  On May 9th, the City launched Latch On NYC, an initiative to support mothers choosing to breastfeed. The goal is to improve the health of mothers and children by increasing breastfeeding initiation and duration, and exclusive breastfeeding.

         Women need accurate information and support to make their own decisions about how to feed their
babies. If a mother chooses to breastfeed, we want to support her decision and eliminate practices that can
interfere with her ability to successfully breastfeed.

• The initiative includes the following components:

          - A call to all NYC maternity hospitals to make a voluntary commitment to support mothers who
choose to breastfeed by providing additional support to breastfeeding mothers and minimize
practices that can interfere with that choice such as supplementing breastfeeding infants with
formula, unless medically indicated or at the mother’s specific request. Hospitals also pledge to
end the distribution of promotional formula and materials during the hospital stay and at
discharge.

          - A public awareness campaign to promote the health benefits of breast milk, and to inform women of
their right to receive education, encouragement and support to breastfeed their babies if they choose
to do so.

•  Mothers who decide to formula feed and cannot afford formula will be referred to WIC (Women, Infants and

Children), a food and nutrition program for low‐income families.

•  The New York City health community has joined together to endorse this new initiative.

             - 28 hospitals have already signed on to make the commitment!

              -The initiative has been endorsed by the New York State Department of Health, the Greater New York Hospital Association, Health and Hospitals Corporation, and the NYS chapters of the American
Academy of Pediatrics, Academy of Family Physicians and the Society for Adolescent Health and
Medicine.

Sources: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/ms/initiative-description.pdf 

http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/AAP-Reaffirms-Breastfeeding-Guidelines.aspx