2007年VOA标准英语-New York City Urges New Mothers to Breastfeed

By Melinda Smith
Washington
09 August 2007
 

The World Health Organization says a mother's milk is the perfect food for a newborn baby.  But worldwide statistics show that breastfeeding is frequently abandoned right after birth.  VOA's Melinda Smith has the story of one major U.S. city that is trying to teach its new mothers that the "very first food" is better than manufactured formula.

In the first hour after birth, health experts say there is no more perfect food for baby than the mother's first milk. Colostrum, as it is called, gives the baby the best start in life because it is rich in antibodies.

Yet international marketing¹ campaigns that promote baby formula have been so successful that the World Health Organization has launched breast-feeding campaigns to counter the competition. In many developing countries health workers are trained to support new mothers in breast-feeding techniques.

In recent years there has been a growing movement to urge more mothers to breastfeed.

Denise Munoz of New York City says she would have nursed her babies if doctors had told her about the health benefits. "They never talked to me about breast-feeding before.  Maybe if they would have talked to me, I would have done it."

Bottle feeding

For years, public hospitals in New York had furnished new mothers with free baby formula.  Some studies have shown that mothers given the free formula are less likely to nurse babies from the breast.

Dr. Susan Vierczhalek of New York's Bellevue Hospital says that is not good for the baby. "If you give formula at that point it can be very detrimental² to the whole process and some people never breastfeed successfully because of that."

Alan Aviles, president of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, says the city wants to reverse that trend by encouraging more breast-feeding.

Alan Aviles

"We want it to be a very clear, unambiguous message that breast-feeding really does promote the health of the newborn.  It's the healthy choice."

Other studies show that women who work outside the home frequently choose formula over the real thing. 

Kim Gandy is the president of the National Organization for Women, an activist³ group for women's rights. "If you say to a new mom, 'You need to breastfeed because it's good for your baby,' and then her employer makes it impossible for her to do that -- all you've done is give her a guilt⁴ trip [make her feel guilty].  You haven't really accomplished⁵ anything."

The World Health Organization says breast-feeding provides all the nutrition that a baby needs in the first six months and at least half of what it needs the rest of the first year.  It is a gift from the mother that keeps on giving, by helping⁶ to protect the child from disease for the rest of his or her life.

 

1 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

2 detrimental   

adj.损害的，造成伤害的

参考例句：

• We know that heat treatment is detrimental to milk.我们知道加热对牛奶是不利的。
• He wouldn't accept that smoking was detrimental to health.他不相信吸烟有害健康。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

5 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。