May 5th, 2010
To breastfeed or not to breastfeed – that is the question. What pregnant woman hasn’t considered the possibility?
Certainly the medical field is in favor of breastfeeding. Both the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend breastfeeding infants exclusively for the first 6 months.
But what about the cost? Here are 5 ways breastfeeding will save you money.
1. Save money on infant formula. The cost of feeding your infant formula runs anywhere from $1000 to $2000. You can cut the cost to $300 by breastfeeding – not only that, but you’ll get to eat the extra calories yourself.
2. Save money on doctor visits. Breastfed babies have been shown to be less prone to many costly health problems including ear infections, serious respiratory infections, asthma, childhood leukemia, and Type I Diabetes, according to a recent study in the journal Pediatrics.
3. Save money on clothing. For many women, breastfeeding will help you lose weight more quickly after pregnancy, making it more likely that you’ll fit into your pre-pregnancy clothing. If you feed your child 200 to 800 calories a day by breastfeeding, that can easily add up to an extra 5 pounds a month of weight loss.
4. Save money on laundry. Formula-fed infants are more likely to spit up, thus staining their clothing. It only makes sense that human milk is the best tolerated food for newborns. And some formula stains simply don’t come out.
5. Save money on funerals. The same study in Pediatrics reports if 90% of U.S. mothers breastfed exclusively for the first six months, 900 infant deaths would be prevented annually. That sobering statistic alone should be enough to make a mother think twice.
As a family physician and mother of four children, all of whom I breastfed, I can attest to the above benefits. However, as a working mother I was not able to breastfed exclusively for six months, but did do so as much as possible until they were about a year old.
Many of you working mothers may wonder if it’s possible to switch back and forth, from bottle to breast. For most infants the answer is yes. Three of my four preferred breast to bottle, whereas the one child who was with a babysitter the most came to prefer the bottle. Some women are able to pump enough breast milk for the hours they are at work, whereas other women cannot for various reasons. It is certainly possible to give a child both breast milk and formula. Some babies prefer the warmth and texture of a real breast, but others don’t seem to care. Some infants prefer the taste of breast milk, but others develop a preference for formula.
Though breastfeeding exclusively provides the greatest health benefits, don’t feel guilty if you have to supplement with formula. Life is what it is, and most of us have to work. Breastfeed as long as you are able to and don’t worry about it if you cannot.
Copyright 2010 Cynthia J. Koelker M.D.
Cynthia J. Koelker MD is a family physician of over twenty years, and holds degrees from MIT, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the University of Akron. She is the author of “101 Ways to Save Money on Healthcare.”
For more free tips on how to save money on health care read Dr. Koelker’s blog at: http://101waystosavemoneyonhealthcare.blogspot.com/
For cost-comparison of breastfeeding versus formula feeding visit: http://www.breastfeeding.org/bfacts/costs.html
To read the article in Pediatrics visit: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/peds.2009-1616v1
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