HHS Toned Down Breast-Feeding Ads
The Washington Post reports here: In an attempt to raise the nation’s historically low rate of breast-feeding, federal health officials commissioned an attention-grabbing advertising campaign a few years ago to convince mothers that their babies faced real health risks if they did not breast-feed. It featured striking photos of insulin syringes and asthma inhalers topped with rubber nipples.
The choice to breastfeed a child is up to the mother, but I have to say the studies are correct about the respiratory results in my case. I breastfed my first child until she was about 14 months old, and then only breastfed my second child until 6 months old. The difference in respiratory illness between my two children confirms the studies that say children are more apt to have asthma if not breastfed enough. My second child had more ear infections and bonchitis and has been diagnosed with a mild form of asthma when physical over exertion occurs.