Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Although human breast milk is the preferred source of nutrition for infants and is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to be the exclusive source of nutrition for infants for the first 6 months of life, a number of studies have found that by 3 months of age, nearly half of all infants are receiving at least some infant formula. Several experts have ascribed this discrepancy between recommendations and reality, in part, to the changing landscape of today's work force and the logistical challenges involved in maintaining infants exclusively on breast milk. What factors should guide our care recommendations to parents, and what do we need to know about infant formulas to make better decisions? Listen in to a discussion with leading experts Dr. Frank Greer, neonatologist and Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at the Wisconsin Perinatal Center at Meriter Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin; Dr. Jenifer R. Lightdale, Division Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School; and, Dr. Anthony Kovatch, who is a practicing pediatrician in Pittsburgh, currently working at Pediatric Alliance and recipient of a Patients' Choice Award.