Celebrating National Breastfeeding Month Tera Hamann, RN, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) Broadlawns Medical Center August is National Breastfeeding Month, which aims improve maternal and child health by highlighting the benefits of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding provides many health benefits for both moms and newborns, babies and toddlers. Breast milk allows newborns to receive hormones, cells and antibodies which promote healthy development and can help protect babies from illnesses, especially before they are old enough to receive vaccinations, or develop their own immune system. Studies show that babies who breastfeed have lower rates of asthma, childhood leukemia, childhood obesity, diabetes, ear infections and lower respiratory infections. Breastfeeding also benefits mothers and can lower the risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, ovarian cancer and certain types of breast and reproductive cancers. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), nearly 2 out of 3 infants are not exclusively breastfed for the recommended 6 months—a rate that has not improved in 2 decades. Nearly 60% of mothers do not breastfeed for as long as they planned to, citing the following barriers: - Issues with lactation or latching - Concerns about infant nutrition or weight - Concern about taking medication while breastfeeding - Unsupportive work policies - Cultural norms or lack of support - Unsupportive hospital practices - Lack of knowledge to make educated decision National Breastfeeding Month works to raise awareness about these barriers to breastfeeding and advocate for societal changes to remove them.
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