Cost of breastfeeding

[CEVmommy]

According to the Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet on Breastfeeding (which was sent to me today in my weekly pregnancy email from my hospital as the "Resource of the Week"), one of the benefits of breastfeeding is:

"It saves money. The cost is about $0.39/day and keeps your baby healthy."

Any idea what they are referring to here? Last I checked, my milk was free!

http://ohioline.osu.edu/mob-fact/0003.html

[PatioGardener]

They probably somehow took into account the extra calories that it takes to breastfeed. Very strange though - $0.39/day is a weird number to come up with!

[somelady]

I dunno if they're counting this or not, but I took a longer maternity leave than I would have otherwise because I wanted to protect my milk supply.

I'd also imagine they're prorating the cost of breast pads, etc, though I would wonder over what time period

[GardenStream]

A few nursing bras along with those breast pads. There are some expenses.

I would love to see the overall cost of breast feeding vs. formula feeding. I bet I've got about $150 into bras and breast pads over the last 3 years. Oh, I also bought some lasinoh.

I can't imagine how much bottles, formula, mini-coolers, and all the other paraphernalia needed would cost.

[KirstenMary]

Maybe for WOH moms, they are figuring in the cost of pumping supplies split over the course of the "average" nursing period - whatever they figured that to be.

My first pump was $199, and my second was $250. I also purchased a small fortune in storage bags. And it was worth every penny. :

[KirstenMary]

Originally Posted by atobols

A few nursing bras along with those breast pads. There are some expenses.

I would love to see the overall cost of breast feeding vs. formula feeding. I bet I've got about $150 into bras and breast pads over the last 3 years. Oh, I also bought some lasinoh.

I can't imagine how much bottles, formula, mini-coolers, and all the other paraphernalia needed would cost.

I have always gone back to work pretty much immediately after having my kids, and bottles cost quite a bit, especially when one must go through five or six different sets trying to find a nipple that baby will accept. :

[skybluepink02]

It can be expensive, under unusual circumstances. Take pumping for example...I'm paying $70 a month for a breastpump, $35 for a pumping bra, $40 for a cooler to transport milk, $25 for the bigger size flanges.... It's very worth it, but expensive for someone with very little slack in the budget.

Hopefully my babies will be home soon and I can nurse them instead.

[GardenStream]

Originally Posted by skybluepink02

Hopefully my babies will be home soon and I can nurse them instead.

: I hope so too!

[SuzyLee]

I don't think 39 cents is enough to cover all the extra food I eat.

I probably eat 5$ of extra food a day.

[LionessMom]

yeah, i was eating extra food every day but only for the first year, then it leveled off. it wasnt anymore than being pregnant.

i know bf is cheaper for most people but $.39? that seems a little low. I would think the average would come out closer to a dollar. and they are probably just going on the food. not everyone uses pumps, bottles, or pads. and they probably arent considering that. besides doesnt $.39 make it seem even way better than the cost of formula? what is the average daily cost for that? isnt it $25 a can that last 10 days? or is that too long? i havent ff a child since 1995. so i dont really remember. but i am sure prices went up.

this artical looks like a quick put together to catch womens eyes to encourage to bf. i dont think it was meant to catch the eye of a more bf educated woman, but one who hadnt though about it. kwim?

[3pink1blue]

it hasn't cost me anything to breastfeed. i don't wear nursing bras and i made my nursing pads out of old rags, and i don't eat more than usual (although i do drink a LOT, but its water, and we have a well so its free.)

maybe they avereaged it out using moms who pump and have other expenses and then moms like me, so it made it look lower? idk.

[KirstenMary]

Originally Posted by 3pink1blue

it hasn't cost me anything to breastfeed. i don't wear nursing bras and i made my nursing pads out of old rags, and i don't eat more than usual (although i do drink a LOT, but its water, and we have a well so its free.)

maybe they avereaged it out using moms who pump and have other expenses and then moms like me, so it made it look lower? idk.

It would be interesting to see how they came up with their numbers because if they didn't include pumping mothers, it certainly affects the validity of the study.

[columbusmomma]

Hmm..interesting! OSU is a few miles from me, so I called the local number at the bottom and no one answered. No vm or anything...I'll keep you posted if I learn the answer! I'm curious too!

[katheek77]

I spent well over $1000 on breastfeeding supplies (2 pumps over 2+years, bags, bottles, replacement parts, fenugreek, teas, etc); I have tubular breasts, which I know isn't common, but, I wonder if people like me skew the results

[Ruthla]

I think I ate well over 39 cents of extra food per day when nursing- I'm one of those women who never loses weight while nursing because I'm always hungry and eating so much.

I need several new bras a year whether I'm nursing or not- I'm not sure I actually spent more on nursing bras than I would have on "regular" bras for the same time period, but I might have. I certainly spend more than 40 cents a day on bras (ie: more than $150 a year), but I have to do that anyway. :

And if you count in the pump and replacement valves.. OK, that came to about 15 cents a day (Avent Isis, used for over a year.)

[Sheryl1678]

Originally Posted by SuzyLee

I don't think 39 cents is enough to cover all the extra food I eat.

I probably eat 5$ of extra food a day.

:

I am probably eating more than that (or would if i could). No question that food is the biggest expense for me but I doubt that is what the .39 cents refers to.

[birdie22]

I was so intrigued by this, I spent almost an hour last night trying to track down the references. I'm not very good at such things, so I didn't get very far, but I did stumble across a bf information page at the FDA website that was very accurate.

Total speculation, but maybe the number is the result of some kind of survey... ask nursing mothers how much they spent on breastfeeding supplies and divide it by a certain number of days. Some women, perhaps many, would say they spend little or nothing, while others might spend quite a bit. The result is an average that is not very informative.

[karika]

i didnt get very far before i had to stop and say , WHAT? Bras and pumps have nothing to do with the cost of breastfeeding in any way. they could be included in a study of costs associated with breastfeeding and returning to work or something like that. actual breastfeeding only consists of a mothers breast and infant sucking. so they must be talking about extra food eaten, though i also eat more than .39 extra a day. when i am not pregnant or nursing i mostly live on air and caffeine free soda, but when nursing i am Hungry and eat a lot more...

[Bluegoat]

I remember once seeing a average number of extra calories needed per day, and it had been converted into a cost. I can't remember what it was though.

I don't think I'd include a pump in the cost of breastfeeding though, in most cases; it would be a cost of going back to work.

[spughy]

Originally Posted by Bluegoat

I remember once seeing a average number of extra calories needed per day, and it had been converted into a cost. I can't remember what it was though.

I don't think I'd include a pump in the cost of breastfeeding though, in most cases; it would be a cost of going back to work.

The usual approximation of extra calories is a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk... I would guess that would be where the $0.39 comes from.