Breastfeeding and the risk of SIDS
Stats.org has published an excellent article on the research surrounding risk factors for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), in particular breastfeeding:
Let there be no doubt: not breastfeeding and SIDS are correlated. The problem is that breastfeeding is correlated with many other factors as well, any of which could be the “cause” (or “causes”) behind an increased SIDS rate among people who use formula instead of mothers’ milk. These include a variety of social and cultural differences, differences in care, differences in other feeding patterns, differences in sleeping patterns, differences in genetic makeup, differences in home environment, differences in medical care, etc. The question is whether the evidence points to breastfeeding (or mother’s milk) as a preventative factor by itself and independent of all the other factors with which breastfeeding tends to go hand in hand.
It continues to unravel the statistics and evidence and concludes by saying:
Without the science, the claims of cost due to not breastfeeding – 447 babies and almost 5 billion dollars in economic loss — are like an empty bottle: wanting for real substance.