New moms get a lot of baby advice. Although people usually mean well, not all of it is based on fact. Myths about breastfeeding are common. The fact is that breastfeeding is a healthy way to feed your baby. The decision to breastfeed is a personal one, and it should also be an informed one. So let’s clear up some of the myths you may have heard.
Myth: Everyone uses formula.
More women breastfeed than you think. According to the latest Breastfeeding Report Card by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 80% of all women in the United States — regardless of status, race, or income — start out breastfeeding. Among African-American women, the breastfeeding rate is almost 55% — up from 35% in the 1970s. Research over the past 40 years has proven that mother’s milk is an inexpensive and healthy choice for babies.
Myth: Formula has more vitamins than breast milk.
In fact, the opposite is true. Formula cannot match the nutrients and vitamins in breast milk. More importantly, breast milk has antibodies, which can only be passed from your body to your baby. This is what helps protect your baby from getting sick. Breast milk is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization. Breastfeeding is a great choice to ensure your baby’s nutrition.
Myth: Formula feeding is easier than breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding may seem hard at first and take some getting used to, but breastfeeding gets easier the more you do it. Breastfeeding can be more convenient than formula and is a great timesaver. Unlike formula, breastmilk doesn’t need any sterilizing, measuring, mixing, or heating. And you don’t have to worry about packing supplies or finding the right formula, bottle, and nipple flow.
Myth: Formula feeding is cheaper than breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding can actually save a family up to $1,500 in a baby’s first year alone. Even when moms receive benefits from programs such as Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which provides supplemental foods to low-income women and their babies, moms who breastfeed exclusively get better financial benefits for a full year (versus six months or less for formula-feeding moms).
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