More of what we've known all along

Breastfeeding is good for you! Yeah we knew this. The AAP just released their latest policy statement as a reminder.

The statement is strongly worded, much more so than the 1997 policy. I was so pleased to see that they stated all the diseases it helps prevent in infancy and childhood, as well as the benefits seen into adulthood. It also outlined the maternal health benefits of reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer, among others.

It spoke of benefits to the community and environment as well, which is something I feel stongly about. All the talk of environmental toxins in breastmilk, breastfeeding does not contribute to the environmental burden - but formula feeding does.

The best part of course is that they say newborns should sleep "in proximity" to their mothers to facilitate breastfeeding and that they say there is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding.