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Letter Writing Opportunity - Good Housekeeping
Magazine
Editor
Good Housekeeping Magazine
959 Eighth Ave.
New York, NY 10019
To the Editor:
The Healthcheck area of your April issue seems to need a bit of
a check-up of its own. Your resident doctor, Dr. Nancy Snyderman,
may want to brush up on her breastfeeding information before she
discourages millions of mothers from nursing their babies through
both her outdated information and prejudicial attitudes regarding
breastfeeding.
While breastfeeding for a year in accordance with the new American
Academy of Pediatrics may seem like "a lofty goal," it is an attainable
one. Many women find nursing their older infants to be a joyous
relationship, making mothering easier while providing their children
with what they need most: mother's milk.
Some doctors continue to advise patients that breastfeeding need
only continue for a short period of time, erroneously believing
that all of the health benefits of nursing occur only during the
first few months. Dr. Snyderman is of this opinion as well, stating,
"My feeling is that nursing is worth the hassle for six months.
Many of the benefits are imparted to the baby's immune system during
that time." However, research has shown that the human immune system
isn't fully functional until about age 5. Certainly babies need
the added benefits and immunities found in mother's milk well past
6 months of age! Additional research demonstrates that breastfed
babies are healthier and smarter than their formula-fed counterparts.
In addition, babies breastfed throughout the first year of life
incur fewer health care costs than those given formula. Then too,
parents of breastfed babies realize a savings of over $1200 in the
cost of the formula during the first year.
An important study published in "Pediatrics" this winter showed
that nursing a baby improved the child's IQ throughout the school
years. These children consistently outperformed youngsters who had
been fed formula. The longer a child had been breastfed, the more
significant was the difference in his or her performance in school
in comparison to those who were not nursed or who were weaned earlier.
The nursing relationship benefits more than just the baby. Breastfeeding
is also key in helping women reduce their risk of breast cancer.
Women who nurse their babies for two years or longer lower their
risk of breast cancer for themselves and their breastfed daughters
by about 25%. Breastfeeding also provides protection against ovarian
cancer and osteoporosis.
Breastfeeding is one of the joys of motherhood, not a phase of a
baby's life that inconveniences the mother. While I'm sorry that
Dr. Snyderman's baby "dropped [her] like a hot potato!" after she
began supplementing with formula, giving the impression that all
babies would prefer a bottle to the comfort of their mother's breast
is insulting to nursing mothers everywhere. It is far more likely
that Dr. Snyderman's baby was experiencing a "nursing strike." Such
temporary refusals to nurse are not uncommon at this age, and unfortunately,
they are generally misinterpreted as the baby self-weaning from
the breast. In fact, self-weaning is a gradual process that generally
occurs in the toddler years or later.
I hope that in the future Good Housekeeping readers can turn to
your pages for more accurate portrayals of breastfeeding.
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