Resources from PHF Advance Maternal and Child Health
According to a new report from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), less than 4% of U.S. hospitals provide breastfeeding support. At current trends, it will take more than 100 years for every baby to be born in a hospital that fully supports breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is beneficial to both child and mother. It provides antibodies to help newborns ward off illness until the immune system can produce its own. Studies from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also suggest that breastfeeding reduces diarrhea, ear infections, bacterial meningitis, diabetes, asthma, and sudden infant death syndrome. In addition, breast milk provides hormones that help regulate how much the child needs to eat. A baby’s risk of becoming overweight is reduced with each month of breastfeeding. For example, breastfeeding for nine months reduces the odds that the child will become obese by more than 30%. Benefits of breastfeeding for mothers include weight loss and lower risk of ovarian and breast cancer.
Although about 80% of U.S. women say that they intend to breastfeed, by the time their child is 9 months old, only 31% are doing so. Less than half nurse their babies at all during the first 6 months. In fact, only 14% of women exclusively breastfeed their children for 6 months as recommended by AAP.
Hospitals can work to increase breastfeeding rates by following the
Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, which are based on recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. Steps include developing a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to staff and informing all pregnant women about the management and benefits of breastfeeding.