National Breastfeeding Month Green - Our Daily Green

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

National Breastfeeding Month Green

One of the greenest things a mother can do is breastfeed her baby. No bottles or plastic liners, no cans of formula, no washing bottles, etc. Mother's milk is the first "zero-waste" food.  To testify personally, I breastfed both my children for 18 months.

That was nearly 15 and 13 years ago. Neither of my children ever had an ear infection, strep throat, or have missed more than a day or two of school in a year. My first child had perfect attendance through 2nd grade. We thought we had the "Cal Ripken" of elementary school, but a sick stomach kept that from happening. The point is, while unscientific on my end and highly subjective, studies by the "American Journal of Public Health",  the "American Journal of Epidemiology", the "Journal of Pediatrics", and the "Journal of Infectious Diseases" support that breastfed children have stronger immune systems.

Formula frequently is cow milk based. A calf is supposed to grow 1000 pounds during its first year of life. Cow's milk is designed for cattle, not humans. Studies link autism to the protein casein, found in cow's milk. Soy based formula also poses health risks. The majority of soy grown in the United States originates with Monsanto from genetically modified seeds.

In honor of August as National Breastfeeding Month, Our Daily Green would like to encourage all new mothers to try breastfeeding. If you're able to do it, the benefits last your baby's life.



For additonal reading: Benefits of Breastfeeding, 101 reasons to Breastfeed

2 comments :

Tina said...

That video clip is hilarious. I mean, why have movements like "save the tata's" if we're not gonna USE 'em. And, they have only one use, sorry guys, you're just borrowing them for fun, that's not what they are really for!

FreshGreenKim said...

Hello, Tina! Welcome to Our Daily Green, it's a pleasure to get new followers.

There is a book I had when my babies were young abt. breastfeeding called "So That's What They're For!" If it's still in print, I highly recommend it! It was funny, informative and encouraging without being sanctimonious.