Pediatric NPs Respond to Anti-Breastfeeding Article

The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) released a strong statement against a recent article negating the benefits of breastfeeding that was published in the magazine The Atlantic.

In this article, the mother of three cited lack of any credible evidence that she could find to support the strong push by medical educators, nurses, and breast feeding advocates for mothers to breast feed their children.  She said she found no evidence of any benefit over other methods of feeding.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) came out very strongly against this article and the subsequent news coverage.  The pediatricians cited their 2005 position statement supporting breastfeeding.  That statement includes references to over 200 peer reviewed studies supporting the benefits of breastfeeding over other methods of feeding.

The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) joined the AAP in the strong resonse to the article by releasing their own strong affirmation of the benefits of breastfeeding. “NAPNAP is committed to educating families and health care providers about the importance of breastfeeding and its impact on children’s health,” said NAPNAP President Linda L. Lindeke, PhD, RN, CPNP. “We stand with the AAP’s statements in response to the recent controversy and the scientific evidence that supports breastfeeding.”

Breastfeeding has been shown to provide numerous benefits to newborn infant including (but not limited to) immune system protections, reduced chances of obesity later in life, and better nutritional content suited to the infants life stages.

Here are some additional resources on the topic of breastfeeding for nurses and nursing students:

NAPNAP page on Breastfeeding Education

NIH Medline Links Page for Breast Feeding

Mayo Clinic Breast Feeding Printable Sheet

CDC Support Site for Breast Feeding