Breast-Feeding 101 and 102 "BOOKS ON HEALTH,
By JOHN LANGONE, New York Times, January 21, 2003

Review of :
"The American Academy of Pediatrics New Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding," edited by Dr. Joan Younger Meek with Sherill Tippins. Bantam Books, $13.95.

"A century ago, a majority of American women breast-fed their infants, and more than half of all babies were still being breast-fed beyond the first year of life.

But as glass bottles, rubber nipples and formulas became available ? and as more women began working outside the home ? breast-feeding rates hit a record low.
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Today, the contributors to this excellent guide say, about 68 percent of American newborns are nourished by their mothers' milk.

But again, conflicts with work and lack of support, along with concerns about breast-feeding, have forced many women to give up nursing early.

Of the American newborns breast-fed in 2000, the authors note, only about 31 percent were still nursing at 6 months, and fewer than 18 percent by a year...."

Mom Charged for Drugged Breast Milk

Posted: January 20, 2003 at 9:02 a.m.

"PERRIS, Calif. (AP) -- Prosecutors have charged a 30-year-old mother of three with second-degree murder after investigators said her infant son died when he ingested methamphetamine through her breast milk.

The prosecution of Amy Prien for the death of 3-month-old Jacob Wesley Smith could lead to the first conviction of its kind in California, according to legal experts.

"She knew the drugs were dangerous, but it was more important to her to have the self-gratification," said Deputy District Attorney Michele Levine. "Responsibility for Jacob's death falls at her feet."" [An edited version of this story was also filed by AP with the unfortunate lead sentence: "Authorities in California are accusing a
woman of killing her son through her breast milk." - JC]