A study in Pediatrics says that breastfeeding babies for the first six months could save 1,000 lives and billions of dollars per year.
According to CNN:
"The United States incurs $13 billion in excess costs annually and suffers 911 preventable deaths per year because our breastfeeding rates fall far below medical recommendations," the report said.
Study co-author Melissa Bartick blames the United States' low rates of breastfeeding on hospitals, which don't do enough to encourage women to breastfeed. Moreover, they often delay or omit altogether placing the baby in skin-to-skin contact with the mother, a practice that stimulates the newborn's natural instinct to nurse.
