Breast-Feeding Woes in Mexico as More Mothers Choose Bottle-Feeding Adriana Gomez Licon - Associated Press
go to original June 5, 2013

Formula Feeding vs. Breastfeeding | Newborn and Baby Development (Howcast)

MEXICO CITY — Despite the well-known advantages to breast feeding for infants, and vigorous campaigns around the world championing the practice, Mexican mothers said they believe the bottle is actually better.

In a dramatic decline over the past six years, today only one in seven mothers in Mexico breast-feeds exclusively in the first six months, the standard recommended by the World Health Organization. That leaves Mexico with nearly the lowest level of breast-feeding in Latin America.

Experts call it a public health crisis for a country where millions still live in extreme poverty, dirty water threatens the health of many families and education is poor. Mother's milk is richer in nutrients and antibodies that protect newborns from infections.

Mexico has the highest infant mortality rate among the world's 40 largest economies. Between 2005 and 2010, breast cancer increased twice as fast as Mexico's female population, with some experts blaming declining rates of breast-feeding; studies show it cuts a woman's risk of cancer by 50 percent or more.

Officials blame an invasion of baby food ads, little regulation of formula companies and the failure of doctors to promote breast-feeling for an overreliance on formula.

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