Nursing moms advised to keep babies close by

Nursing babies should sleep right next to their parents' bed, advises the American Academy of Pediatrics in a new breast-feeding policy out Monday that's drawing applause and pointed criticism.

The academy reiterated its 8-year-old policy that mothers should feed babies only breast milk for six months, unless there are special nutritional needs, and continue breast-feeding until the baby is at least 1 or longer if desired.

Breast-feeding rates have increased for 12 years, but only about one-third of mothers are still nursing 6-month-olds, and slightly fewer than 1 out of 5 breast-feed 1-year-olds, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nursing helps protect babies against infections and diarrhea and significantly reduces the chances of dying in infancy, the policy says.

La Leche League spokeswoman Katy Lebbing favors the new advice to keep babies near overnight. "It's a myth that breast-fed babies sleep through the night," she says. Many continue to wake up overnight even after the first few months of life, "and they need to nurse, they need the nutrition."

But family historian Stephanie Coontz says pediatricians are doing no favors for stressed-out, modern families by making a blanket recommendation that couples keep babies near them overnight. "These experts are piling higher and higher expectations on mothers," Coontz says. "Half of American women go back to work before their babies are a year old. A woman might need a good night's sleep or to bond with her husband, and that's good for the baby." Courtesy of usatoday.com 2/6/05

Steve - Am I dreaming? These last three blog entries are all positive preventative building blocks for a healthy life...breast feed your baby for at least one year, do not overfeed your baby, and limit soft drink and juice consumption!