Abstract
The evidence for the use of human milk as the gold standard in infant nutrition is well documented. The American Academy of Pediatrics,1 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Surgeon General,2 the United Nations Children's Fund,3 the World Health Organization,4 and many other organizations all promote breastfeeding and/or the use of human milk as the ideal form of infant nutrition for the first year of life. A study published by Bartick and Reinhold5 suggested that, if 90 percent of American families complied with the medical recommendations to breastfeed exclusively for six months, the United States would save $13 billion per year and prevent 911 deaths per year, most of which would be infants.