Beyond the Benefits

Research has demonstrated the health and economic importance of breastfeeding for children, their mothers, and society at large. Breast milk provides normal nutri-tion for infants, while providing protection from a wide array of illnesses and infections. It is associated with normal growth and development as compared to that of formula-fed infants, including prevention of obesity. Breastfeeding as the normal continuum of the childbear-ing cycle (Kroeger and Smith 2004} allows women to avoid the delayed return of uterine tone, pre-pregnancy weight, as well as the more rapid return of ovulation experienced by women who do not breastfeed. Lactating women experience a decreased risk of breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer. Economic benefits of breast-feeding include reduced health costs for breastfed in-fants. Managed care plans accrue thousands of dollars in expenses for children who are not breastfed, due to increased number of ill visits, prescriptions, and hospital