AAP’s breastfeeding and the use of human milk
The American Academy of Pediatrics revised policy statement (Pediatrics Vol. 115 No. 2 February 2005), "Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk", clearly promotes the normalization of breastfeeding and emphasizes the important role that doctors play in that promotion.
Specifically, the document states, "Exclusive breastfeeding is the reference or normative model against which all alternatives feeding methods must be measured with regard to growth, health, development and all other short- and long-term outcomes." The policy states that in addition to specific health advantages of breastfeeding for both mother and child, other economic, family and environmental savings could add up to $3.6 billion in decreased health costs in the US alone.
The AAP recommendations are a step forward for the medical community community in support of the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. Among some of the most notable recommendations:
■ Education of both parents is an essential component of successful breastfeeding. (Rec. 2)
■ Skin-to-skin contact should be established immediately after delivery. Weighing, measuring, bathing, needle-sticks and eye prophylaxis should be delayed until after the first feeding is completed. (Rec. 3)
■ Pediatricians and parents should be aware that exclusive breastfeeding is sufficient to support optimal growth and development for the first six months of life. Other foods introduced before this represent substitutes that lack the protective components of human milk. (Rec. 10)
■ Mother and child should sleep in proximity to each other to facilitate breastfeeding. (Rec. 14)
While the policy does recommend vitamin D supplementation, it does so in half the dose (200 IU) and for one third the duration (i.e. 2 months) of the current controversial recommendations by Health Canada.
In addition to these specific recommendations, the policy recommends the value of human milk as the first alternative to breastfeeding for high-risk infants.
In conclusion, the policy reiterates:
"Enthusiastic support and involvement of pediatricians in the promotion and practice of breastfeeding is essential to the achievement of optimal infant and child health, growth and development."