Mother's milk is best

The World Health Organization has long held that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. Breastfeeding during that critical time helps infants "achieve optimal growth, development and health," according to WHO.

Despite that endorsement and others by prestigious physician organizations and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 74 percent of American women start breastfeeding when their child is born.

At three months, only 33 percent are breastfeeding exclusively. By six months, that number falls to just 14 percent.

Not only does that shortchange infants in terms of their general well-being, it significantly drives up health care costs, a new study published in the journal Pediatrics has concluded. The report found that "the United States incurs $13 billion in excess costs annually and suffers 911 deaths per year because our breastfeeding rates fall far below medical recommendations."

Most of the costs are incurred due to premature deaths, 95 percent of which were due to sudden infant death syndrome, necrotizing enterocolitis (the death of the intestinal wall, which is primarily seen in pre-term babies), and lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia.

Authors of the study say many factors contribute to low breastfeeding rates in the United States. Mothers may receive mixed messages about breastfeeding and often lack support for that choice.

Some hospitals and birthing centers, such as University Hospital, have earned the "baby friendly hospital" designation from WHO and UNICEF. The global initiative recognizes institutions that provide breastfeeding education and support to new mothers, place newborns with their mothers immediately after delivery so they can latch on within the first hour of life and take steps to encourage successful nursing such as giving no pacifiers to breastfed newborns. The hospital no longer accepts freebie baby formula from manufacturers.

Exclusively breastfeeding a child up to six months helps to reduce food allergies and ear infections. Some studies link nursing to cognitive development.

Dr. Melissa Bartick, co-author of the CDC study, said the vast majority of health care costs associated with the nation's low breastfeeding rates could be saved if 80 percent to 90 percent of mothers exclusively breastfed their infants for the first four months of life and if 90 percent of mothers would breastfeed some of the time up to six months.

Clearly, American hospitals need to do more to encourage this practice, both for the health of infants and to reduce health costs. In the face of health care reform, hospitals need to make breastfeeding a greater priority.