DENVER – In Colorado and across the nation, August is National Breastfeeding Month. It has supporters touting the benefits of mother’s milk, often called “nature’s perfect baby food.”
Mothers who breastfeed can reduce their risk for diabetes, cardiovascular conditions and some forms of cancer, said Marian Tompson, founder of La Leche League. Babies get a variety of health benefits as well, such as a stronger immune system, better motor development and a reduction in allergies.
“There have been thousands of studies during the past 50 years that confirm babies are healthier when they’re breastfed,” Tompson said, “and it makes sense because they’re getting the food that was meant for their growth and development.”
According to the Colorado Department of Public Health, 1 in 4 infants in the state is exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. At 89 percent, Colorado’s figure for mothers who begin breastfeeding their children at birth tops the national average of 79 percent.
While more mothers are starting with breastfeeding and nursing longer on average, Tompson said too many still quit in those first weeks or months, often because the moms have to return to work and are separated from their infants.
“It’ll be a win-win situation for everybody when mothers who breastfeed their babies are supported and being helped to do so,” she said, “both in employment, in school – anyplace where a mother who is breastfeeding has to be and probably has to have her baby.”
On the Net
Le Leche League International: www.llli.org
Attachment Parenting International: www.attachmentparenting.org.
National and state breastfeeding data: www.cdc.gov.
