On top of all the other wonderful benefits of breastfeeding, here’s a few more facts I’ve learned recently ~
- Studies show that breastfed babies have fewer (and/or less severe) illnesses, ear infections, and urinary tract infections, among other things. This is not only a health benefit, but saves you a lot in payments to doctors, hospitals, prescriptions, labs….let alone effects on health insurance costs, and government health programs that spend our tax money. In addition, other studies have shown that breastfed babies respond better to getting vaccinated than formula-fed babies. The common thinking seems to be that human milk plays a huge part in the baby’s own immune system development.
- Figures from 2004 estimated that it cost between $1160 and $3915 per year to buy infant formula. With rising prices, it is likely much more today.
- Miscellaneous costs- Electricity to prepare, sterilize, and heat the formula. Buying and washing bottles. Gas to run to the store when you’re out of formula. Having to buy an extra can if you are out somewhere and forgot to bring formula. Usually solids are introduced earlier and fed more often when not breastfeeding, and that equals buying a lot of extra baby food.
- In 1996, the Colorado WIC (Women, Infants, Children) program (for low-income mothers to get food supplements for themselves and their children) calculated that if 50% of the mothers in the WIC program nationwide would breastfeed their babies for 5 or 6 months, America could save about 9.3 million dollars per month!
- It was reported that the US government spends over $600 million a year to provide formula for its WIC supplemental food program. WIC actually provides free infant formula to 37% of all infants born in the USA.
- For every 3 million formula-fed babies, 450 million tins of formula are used. This results in 70,000 tons of metal waste, in most cases not recycled. The manufacturing of the packaging of artificial baby milk creates toxins and uses paper, plastic, and tin.
- From the American Academy of Pediatrics: “In addition to individual health benefits, breastfeeding provides significant social and economic benefits to the nation, including reduced health care costs and reduced employee absenteeism for care attributable to child illness. The significantly lower incidence of illness in the breastfed infant allows the parents more time for attention to siblings and other family duties and reduces parental absence from work and lost income. The direct economic benefits to the family are also significant. It has been estimated that the 1993 cost of purchasing infant formula for the first year after birth was $855.”
- Women who exclusively breastfeed, on average, don’t start their periods until about 14 months after giving birth. Multiply this by the four million US births each year to see that over one billion sanitary products annually could potentially be kept out of our nation’s landfills and sewers. (The cost to you would vary depending on what type of product you buy.)
- One study determined that producing one kilogram of formula in Mexico costs 12.5 square meters of rain forest.
It’s just interesting to me, why do so many people look past such a high-quality product, that is superior to anything you can buy in a store? Something that could potentially save your baby’s life, and if nothing else, will probably make him healthier and more intelligent because of it. It will save you thousands of dollars, and did I mention IT IS FREE?! You will save the government money, and conserve some of earth’s resources, and prevent pollution. God knew what He was doing when He sent the milk with the baby.
Sources: La Leche League International, Breastfeeding.com, AAP.org/policy, thesimpledollar.com
