The
economic value of breastfeeding to the society at large is under researched and its importance as a preventive public health strategy is underestimated.
Because of these many
values of breastfeeding for both mothers and their babies, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) both recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and then supplemented breastfeeding for at least one year and up to two years or more.
When you understand the
nutritional value of breastfeeding along with the protection breastfeeding provides your baby from disease, it is easy to get angry with people that haven't done a lick of research themselves.
In the October 16, 2015 opinion article in the New York Times by Courtney Jung entitled «Overselling Breast - Feeding,» Ms. Jung asserts that encouragement to breastfeed has reached a «moral fervor» inconsistent with the
true value of breastfeeding.
Ironically, when a cow produces milk, the GDP goes up [5] but when a woman produces milk, the GDP falls [6], which clearly shows the folly of overlooking the
economic value of breastfeeding.
Artist Leanne Pearce says the media focus on negative stories that «seem to forget the functional, maternal, and nutritionally
precious value of breastfeeding.»
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provision also upholds and believes in
the value of breastfeeding for the health and bonding of both moms and newborns.
The value of breastfeeding has been clearly documented.
While preaching to others about the advantages of breastfeeding can turn them off, sharing your experiences and mentoring them can effectively promote
the value of breastfeeding.
Trying to explain
the value of breastfeeding on demand and why I didn't know the amount she ate was frustrating.
That was more than 30 years ago, and you might think that breastfeeding mothers don't hear that kind of criticism these days, with laws in many places to protect the right to breastfeed in public and the ongoing research demonstrating
the value of breastfeeding.
Ultimately it's up to you to make sure your employer and co-workers understand
the value of breastfeeding.
However, while you might need to explain
the value of breastfeeding to someone who has some influence in your life, you don't need to explain yourself to every Judgmental Joe who pops up to shame you at the mall or wherever.
The Economic
Value of Breastfeeding, the National, Public Sector, Hospital and Household Levels: A Review of the Literature
In most societies, the value of breastmilk is well - known, but
the value of breastfeeding is not.
Evidence continues to mount regarding
the value of breastfeeding for both women and their infants.