For Immediate Release:
August 2, 2005

Contact:
Lori Buchanan
Office of Public Information
573-751-6062

Governor Blunt Proclaims August as Missouri State Breastfeeding Month

One of the single most important decisions a new mother can make to assure health and contentment for her baby is to breastfeed. This simple fact is being celebrated and reinforced as Governor Matt Blunt proclaims August as Missouri Breastfeeding Month. A t the same time, around the globe, World Breastfeeding Week is being observed August 1-7.

Experts agree breastfeeding promotes baby’s good health both in the beginning and throughout life. Breast milk can be credited with helping to facilitate the development of a baby’s brain as well as aiding in the growth of its immune system to withstand s uch ailments as diarrhea, ear infections, and infections of the respiratory and urinary tracts. It also reduces the baby’s risk of environment-borne illnesses, food sensitization and allergies. Added to these benefits is the fact that a baby who is breast fed exclusively for at least six months has a reduced risk of obesity later in life. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that new mothers breastfeed their babies for at least the first year.

The benefits do not rest entirely with the babies. Mothers enjoy tangible health benefits as well. Breastfeeding reduces postpartum bleeding, helps the mother return to her pre-pregnancy size sooner, boosts her immune system, and even reduces a diabetic m other’s need for insulin. In the long-term, a breastfeeding mother is also granted increased protection from breast and ovarian cancers, and osteoporosis.

“It is definitely a win-win situation,” said Sharmini Rogers, chief, Genetics and Newborn Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. “Mother and baby both benefit not only with better physical health but also with increased emotional well- being. We contribute to our communities as a whole when we encourage and support these new mothers.”

Recent data collected among new mothers participating in the Missouri Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) found that almost half of all the mothers initiated breastfeeding and close to 30 percent were continuing af ter six months. Overall, in 2004, 62.4 percent of infants were breastfed at hospital discharge. However, the rates are not as good six months later, when only a little over 30 percent continue to be breastfed. In order to increase these figures, support a nd encouragement are needed from families, health care providers and communities.

For more information concerning breastfeeding, visit http://www.dhss.mo.gov/breastfeeding or call the unit Genetics and Newborn Health at 1-800-877-6246.