[NormsRevenge]

The experts offered that they couldn’t provide a ‘real’ number and pulled it out of the air.. but.. part of the magic if you will is the ability of mama bear to pass lots of good nutrients to the cub... so I have a feeling it is not a number to sneeze at.. and vastly understated..

[Tax-chick]

I’m assuming they’re calculating a certain number of illnesses avoided, and then figuring the death rates from such illnesses. There are deaths from infant ear infections, for example, especially from unexpected antibiotic allergies.

I took the classes and got As, but statistics is just so counterintuitive sometimes. You get your answer and common sense says, “No way, we didn’t have enough data to conclude this!”

[hinckley buzzard]

I believe the idea is what sells the recommendation. I have three grown and almost grown children, formula/bottle fed, all of whom together haven't had ten sick days in their sixty six combined years of life.

Maybe if a baby starts out sickly, breast-feeding has an advantage. But my kids could not be any healthier if they'd been raised on nectar of the gods.