KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - For World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7), Public Health - Seattle & King County is stressing the overwhelming benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for both mother and child, including the prevention of serious diseases.

"Breastfeeding is a simple yet very effective way to have healthier babies, healthier families and healthier communities," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "By breastfeeding, parents have to take less time off from work to care for their sick children, reduce medical costs to families and employers, and save money by not having to purchase formula."

"Exclusively breastfeeding a baby for six months has enormous health benefits," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County. "Compared to babies who receive formula, babies who are exclusively breastfed for six months have lower risks of certain chronic diseases, respiratory diseases and other illnesses."

Babies who are not exclusively breastfed for their six months are more likely to:

Note to reporters and editors: If you wish to interview a breastfeeding mother, a person of color who breastfeeds, or a mother who works and breastfeeds, contact 206-205-3331.

In Washington State, less than a third of babies are breastfed for six months; among African Americans, the rate is even lower, as one in five babies is breastfed.

"The benefits of breastfeeding are not just for the baby," said Dr. Nancy Danoff, a pediatrician at Eastgate Public Health Center and member of the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington. "Breastfeeding fosters a very special bond between mother and child and reduces maternal risks of premenopausal breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and osteoporosis."

"It amazes me that my body can provide all the necessary and best nourishment for my baby," said a King County breastfeeding mother. "The bond I establish with my baby during breastfeeding goes deeper than I could have imagined. I love the physical closeness, like staring into each other's eyes and holding hands."

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for approximately six months and continued breastfeeding for at least one year, and thereafter it recommends breastfeeding for as long as mutually desired. Since 2001, Washington State law has protected the right of a woman to breastfeed in public by maintaining that breastfeeding or expressing milk is not indecent exposure.

Public Health's web site has extensive information for working mothers and employers, pages in English and Spanish, local breastfeeding resources, 14 different breastfeeding fact sheets and a glossary of terms. Visit: www.metrokc.gov/health/breastfeeding

A King County Breastfeeding Resource Guide is available at www.breast-friends.org

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