Articles > Roshan's Blog: Breastfeeding Benefits and Billions Lost

Roshan's Blog: Breastfeeding Benefits and Billions Lost

Written Thursday, April 22nd 2010 by Alexandra

Roshan's Blog: Breastfeeding Benefits and Billions Lost

04/22/10

Did you know that breastfeeding has numerous health benefits to children, yet only 43% of women actually breastfeed for 6 months?

According to a recent study this costs our health care system nearly $13 billion due to illnesses which might have been prevented if infants had been breastfed. The study indicates that if 90% of women breastfed the healthcare system would save billions of dollars.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Dr. Ruth Lawrence, head of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Breastfeeding section, states, “the healthcare system has got to be aware that breastfeeding makes a profound difference” for the well-being of children and preventing illnesses that lead to numerous diseases such as asthma, diabetes, obesity and even preventable death.

We need to think that breastfeeding is not really a lifestyle choice, but a public health issue because there are so many health problems that could be avoided if babies were breastfed exclusively for at least 6 months. This has been the recommendation by the AAP for a number of years, yet, only 12% of women follow the guidelines.

Here is my thought: Perhaps the healthcare system and insurance companies should give families a break and reward those that breastfeed, which would save the insurance companies billions of dollars in the future. Some companies reduce rates for good driving so this could be along the same lines. If this happened for families then everyone would benefit... Maybe I should suggest this to President Obama!


-Roshan

Roshan Kaderali is a registered nurse, midwife, lactation specialist and CEO of Baby's Bliss® and Mommy's Bliss®. Originally from Tanzania and later a resident of Scotland, she has lived permanently in America for over thirty-five years. You can read more about Roshan here.


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Comments

Mom of three
3 months ago
I couldn't agree, more! I have breast fed exclusively for the first 18-24 months, with our first two and now our third has arrived and is getting no less. In fact, due to jaundice, we were in the NICU for 5 days, with this baby. Our hospital was incredibly generous and stood behind their policy of "doing everything possible to support moms in the healthy choice to breast feed" by allowing me to "room in" for those 5 days (at ZERO expense to me or my insurance company). I was able to stay, as if in a hotel (without room service, of course) ;) which made my efforts at b-feeding exclusively SO much easier. For those 5 days, I needed only to shuffle down the hall to nurse our baby, every three hours, at 5, 8, 11 & 2, around the clock. I cannot imagine trying to breast feed her, had I been forced to make the 15-20 minute drive a few times a day. Thankfully, her jaundice was eliminated, she thrived on my milk and is now a healthy, well-sleeping 4 month-old. And none of our three has ever had an earache, something our pediatrician attributes in no small way to the fact that they received "liquid gold" for the first year+ of their lives. I realize there are women (several of my friends, included) who are simply unable to produce an adequate supply of milk...and they are certainly no less loving or nurturing with their children. But I am grateful for the benefits breast feeding has supplied our children and certainly wish it also had an additional benefit to us, financially in the form of a discount on our/her health insurance. Great idea!

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