Tuesday, July 5, 2011

BreastFeeding


It's the question many are buzzing about, after last week a Detroit bus driver threatened to kick a nursing mother off the bus unless she covered up.
The event has reignited the breastfeeding-in-public debate: Is it indecent exposure, or necessary given the important health benefits of nursing?
Breast-fed babies suffer fewer illnesses such as diarrhea, earaches and pneumonia, because breast milk contains antibodies that help fend off infections. They're also less likely to develop asthma, or even to become fat later in childhood. Nursing mothers shed pregnancy pounds faster, and if they breast-feed long enough can decrease their risk of breast or ovarian cancer.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says breast milk alone provides optimal nutrition for babies for about the first six months, the time when most babies begin solid foods, and that breast-feeding should continue to age 1.

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