This is a story which takes the breast or bottle-fed debate out of the “Who’s a good mother?” zone and into a major medical issue.

The current recommendation for new mothers is to breast feed exclusively for six months.

The full report says that breast feeding only for four months and some breast-feeding for six months could prevent many of these serious conditions and infant deaths.

This study focused on dollar costs although the loss of an infant is incalculable to most families.

“The excess annual cost in 2007 dollars associated with the current poor levels of adherence compared with 90% compliance (on breast feeding recommendations) was:

Medpage Today

• “$4.7 billion and 447 excess deaths due to sudden infant death syndrome.”
• “$2.6 billion due to 249 excess deaths from necrotizing enterocolitis.”
• “$1.8 billion due to 172 excess deaths from lower respiratory tract infections.”
• “$908 million due to otitis media.”
• “$601 million due to atopic dermatitis.”
• “$592 million due to childhood obesity.”

Medpage Today

“Poor compliance with breastfeeding recommendations costs the nation at least $13 billion each year, with nearly all of the cost related to infant morbidity and mortality, according to a comprehensive economic analysis.

“If 90% of new mothers followed guidelines for six months of exclusive breastfeeding for their children, an estimated 911 deaths would be prevented annually, said authors Melissa Bartick, MD, MSc, of Harvard Medical School, and Arnold Reinhold, MBA, of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics, both in Boston.

“Even 80% adherence would save $10.5 billion and prevent 741 deaths each year, they reported online in Pediatrics.

“Taking action to help more families to follow the guidelines, such as by creating a national infrastructure to support breastfeeding, would likely be cost-effective, Bartick and Reinhold said.”

Source: Medpage Today,

Citation:Pediatrics 2010; 125: e1048–e1056.