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Breastfeeding Resources

Breastfeeding: Support a Family's Right!

Did you know that breastfeeding benefits not only the health of the mother and child, but also the environment, the community, and saves you, the taxpayer, money?? The following is a list of some of the many benefits a community reaps when a mother chooses to breastfeed.

Infant and Child Health Benefits

  • Breastfeeding offers protection against common childhood infections including ear and respiratory infections, and gastroenteritis, as well as other stomach illnesses.
  • Breast milk provides protection against common childhood diseases, thereby reducing the number of illnesses an infant/child has while attending child care.
  • Breastfeeding an infant with cleft lip or palate can help fight infection after surgery and can reduce the amount of speech therapy needed.
  • Breastfeeding promotes good infant jaw and palate development.
  • Breastfed babies have measurably higher IQs, better brain and nervous system development
  • Breast milk protects children from allergic diseases, meningitis, chronic digestive diseases, insulin-dependent diabetes, lymphroma, and ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Breastfed infants also have a reduced risk for SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).

Women's Health Benefits

  • Breastfeeding reduces a woman's risk for ovarian and premenopausal breast cancer, osteoporosis, and obesity.

Family Benefits

  • Breastfeeding reduces the cost of health care by promoting healthier children and mothers. Formula costs can range from $700 to $1800 a year. Fewer illnesses mean more time for attention to siblings and other family interests.
  • Breastfeeding is a convenient way for a "family on the move" to feed a baby.

Environmental Benefits

  • Global pollution is reduced when women breastfeed by eliminating the use of resources and energy required to produce, process, distribute, promote, and dispose of material created by artificial baby milk.

Employer Benefits

  • Breastfeeding mothers have less absenteeism, reduced health care costs, and improved productivity in the workplace due to less child illness.

Society Benefits

  • The tax burden on communities and government spent on providing health care and supplying formula to WIC and welfare infants could be reduced by hundreds of millions of dollars a year if infants were breastfed.

Related Internet Sites

  • www.breastfeeding.com
    Help with nursing problems, latch on video, nursing equipment, personal stories, breastfeeding questions.
  • www.infactcanada.ca
    INFACT Canada, the Infant Feeding Action Coalition is a non-profit, non-governmental voluntary organization that promotes better infant and maternal health.
  • http://www.ibfan.org
    The International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) is a partnership of over 150 groups in over 90 countries. The aim of all of the groups is to improve infant health through the protection of breastfeeding.
  • http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/3156/
    This website is the home page of Ted Greiner, a passionate supporter of breastfeeding. This website includes the history of breastfeeding, how the infant food industry promotes its product and the HIV threat to breastfeeding.
  • http://www.lalecheleague.org
    This is an award-winning site sponsored by the La Leche League International which is an international, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization dedicated to providing education, information, support and encouragement to women who want to breastfeed.
  • http://www.parentsplace.com/readroom/bf.html
    The Parentsplace site houses some very helpful breastfeeding articles and resources. This web-site contains breastfeeding series by Dr. Sears, articles from World Breastfeeding Week, Q & A with lactation consultants and links to other sites on interest to nursing mothers.
  • http://www.cps.ca
    The Canadian Pediatric Society is a non-profit, professional organization whose mission is service to Canadian children.
  • http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/
    Australian Breastfeeding Association is a large community based self-help group, recognized as a leading authority of breastfeeding management. This site has information for both breastfeeding women and for health professionals.

For more information on breastfeeding or on the WIC program in Larimer County, please contact Ingrid Rosoff at The Larimer County Department of Health at 498-6722.