Influential 2016 article against Baby-Friendly based on a false claim. Dr Melissa Bartic

Influential article against Baby-Friendly is based on a false claim. Dr Melissa Bartick

“In their famous August 2016 article in JAMA Pediatrics, ‘Unintended Consequences of Current Breastfeeding Initiatives’ Dr. Joel Bass and colleagues cite data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health showing a disturbing proportion of Sudden Unexplained Infant Deaths (SUID) in the first 5 days of life among newborns, which they link to hospital-based breastfeeding initiatives in that state. This forms the primary justification for their argument that the government agencies should withdraw support for breastfeeding interventions comprising the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). Their paper has been cited 10 times and viewed 4,825 times as of November 23, 2017, and has been remarkably influential. The authors are particularly concerned about the possibility of death during skin-to-skin contact with a mother, a rare phenomenon known as Sudden Unexpected Perinatal Collapse (SUPC).”

“However, upon obtaining the actual Massachusetts infant mortality dataset from 2004-2013 used by Bass and colleagues, I found that the authors knowingly drew a false conclusion from the data, and that furthermore, a close examination of the data does not fit the timeline of implementation of breastfeeding interventions in the state of Massachusetts.”

Link here