Last month was a big scare for parents who are feeding their babies formula. It has been reported that Chinese baby formula laced with the industrial chemical melamine has caused the death of four infants and sickened tens of thousands of others.

As if there were not enough great reasons to breastfeed your baby, here is one more!

Between 1982 and 1994 alone, there were 22 significant recalls of infant formula in the United States due to health and safety problems. Seven of these recalls were classified by the FDA as "Class I" or potentially life threatening. The reasons vary from being tainted with salmonella, to having a peeling label, to containing glass particles. None, though, have been as terrifyingly devastating as the recent catastrophe in China. Over 50,000 children (most under the age of 3) have been affected, and over 12,000 had to be hospitalized. Was it something as simple as a peeling label? No, it was melamine that was added to the milk to up the protein counts.

In addition to the health scare of tainted formula, we have also had the recent scare of baby bottles made with the chemical bisphenol A (BPA). BPA taken into the body before birth and in the early years of life can alter the ratio of sex hormones and affect development. Exposure to BPA can also lead to several kinds of cancer, infertility, and hyperactivity in children. According to one study, 95 percent of baby bottles on the market contain BPA, and that exposing plastic bottles in general to boiling water can release BPA 55 times faster than normal. When feeding infant formula, boiling or "sterilizing" the bottles is necessary since formula will grow bacteria easily. In contrast, bottles containing pumped breast milk require much less heat exposure since breast milk does not grow bacteria as easily. This choice is important considering the fact that infants that are fed formula will be exposed to these bottles 8 to 10 times a day and as much as 2500 times in the first year alone!

My question is, with all of these issues, wouldn't it just be simpler if everyone who could, breastfed their babies? Do you know what melamine is? It is plastic – as in the cafeteria trays that children eat off of. As long as it is not heated or consumed, it is harmless. But, one of its main ingredients is formaldehyde. Yes, the chemical that is used to embalm bodies. And over 50,000 children in China consumed it.

The mother's decision to not breastfeed her infant is not only detrimental to brain and immune system development, but is also potentially dangerous! If you could choose to have your child be healthier and have better brain function, wouldn't you do it? The facts are there, breastfeeding is the ideal nutritional situation for all babies and after all of the health scares with tainted formula, breastfeeding can save a baby's life!

Shari Criso, MSN, CNM, IBCLC has released her new DVD - My Baby Experts, SIMPLY BREASTFEEDING. For more information, visit www.MyBabyExperts.com.