Saturday, April 11, 2009

The Value of Breast Milk

I recently read a piece, "The Case Against Breast-Feeding," by Hanna Rosin in the Atlantic, which called the benefits of breast-feeding to babies into question. Former breast-feeding mom that I am, Rosin's argument caught my attention and has had me mulling it over for several weeks. I hadn't come to any conclusion when I spotted "Mother's Milk a Lifesaver for Preemies?" by Dr. Sanjay Gupta at CBSnews.com today. Gupta's report is about the encouraging results with preemies and breastmilk experienced at UC Davis San Diego Medical Center. In particular, last year the use of breastmilk brought the rate of an often fatal illness, NEC or Necrotizing Enterocolitis, down from 5.8% to less than 1%. All of which leaves me wondering if there is a breastmilk benefit to term babies after all?

Videos:
Rosin "The Case Against Breast-Feeding"
Gupta "Mother's Milk a Lifesaver for Preemies?"

No comments: