Best for Babes

When we tell people we are in the boob business this is what we hear:   

1)   What’s the big deal?   Aren’t most moms breastfeeding? 

No.  Although 64% of new mothers try breastfeeding, only 14% make it to the minimum six months exclusive breastfeeding recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.  Worse, most throw in the towel in the first few weeks.  Compare that to Sweden’s rates of 99% initiating and 79% nursing at 6 months, respectively, no wonder the U.S. has one of the lowest rates of breastfeeding among all industrialized nations.   Thousands of needless deaths, and billions in health care costs in the U.S. could be prevented by raising our national breastfeeding rate.  

Especially shocking is that breastfeeding rates actually declined from 70% in 2002 to 63.6% in 2006 following the Government’s $40 million ad campaign highlighting the risks of not breastfeeding.  This nearly invisible campaign was botched under powerful lobbying pressure from the formula companies–who increased their own advertising budgets from $30 million to $50 million while the ads ran.  To top it off, the government buckled to pressure and held back a press release on a major meta-study underscoring the risks of not breastfeeding (see below)–information that prospective parents DESERVE to have. 

2)  I wasn’t breastfed and I turned out fine.  

We try not to debate on an individual basis, we just point out the facts.  For one thing, our immune systems need all the help they can get given an increase in environmental stress, overuse of antibiotics, etc.  Here is an excellent summary* of the news release that was withheld: 

Breastfeeding reduces babies’ risk of these diseases by:

• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS):  36% 
• Type 1 Diabetes:  19-27%
• Type 2 Diabetes:  39%
• Leukemia (acute lymphocytic) :  19%
• Leukemia (acute myelogenous):  15%
• Asthma:  27%
• Gastrointestinal infections:  64%
• Lower respiratory tract diseases:  72% 
• Atopic dermatitis:  42%
• Acute otitis media:  50%

And breastfeeding reduces mothers‘ risk of these diseases by:

• Type 2 Diabetes:  4-12%
• Ovarian cancer:  21%
• Breast cancer:  28%  

*(from Motherwear’s breastfeeding blog,   http://breastfeeding.blog.motherwear.com/2007/12/2007-breastfeed.html “This information comes from a new meta-analysis (study of studies) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.   This study looked over 9,000 studies on breastfeeding from developed countries, weeded out the ones with poor methodology, and came up with an overall percentage for each one.  This is harder than it sounds because “breastfeeding” is defined differently in each study.”)

Thank you for tuning in to “The Boob Tube,” the official blog of Babes for Breastfeeding and Best for Babes (BfB) — the first of its kind one-stop shop for the hip and savvy new mom who is breastfeeding or considering breastfeeding.  Our blog is just one of the ways that BFB is helping set you up for breastfeeding success by setting the record straight about everything from accurate know-how to the latest research on benefits to must-have breastfeeding products.  First, a little more about who we are:  Babes for Breastfeeding knows that new moms don’t need more pressure or more guilt! We are on your side, Babe!  Too many new moms start out nursing and then quit because they are not getting the help they need to succeed, still others are reluctant to try at all because of squeamishness, concern about their ability to breastfeed, or outright fear from the stories they hear about botched breastfeeding experiences.  Sadly, most of those difficulties are completely avoidable with the right guidance and help.  BFB is here to finally end the unfortunate trend of new mothers being urged to breastfeed and set up to fail.BFB’s mission is to inspire, prepare and empower all women to breastfeed successfully and to feel fabulous about it.  We will be bringing you positive and inspiring images and messages, great celebrity role-models, and smart info on how to get ahead of the game.  We’ll also be giving you a heads-up on the best resources, and tips on how to deal with common pitfalls—or “booby traps”, as we like to call them.   We want to help you fit nursing discreetly into your modern, multi-tasking lifestyle, and feel good about yourself and your mom-made wonderfood™–because you, Babe, are giving the best to your babe! Come back often to hear about the latest breastfeeding news and updates, and let us know what you think.  Best to you,Bettina & Danielle