Breastfeeding Benefits Mothers as Much as Babies, but…
We need to lower barriers for breastfeeding in the workplace and elsewhere
By Tisha Felder, Associate Professor of Behavioral Sciences, University of South Carolina, and Joynelle Jackson, Associate Professor of Nursing, University of South Carolina
Four babies are born every second in the world, and there are only two options for their first food at birth: human milk or formula.
Global and U.S. health authorities agree, however, that human milk provides the optimal nutrition for infants. The World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life. Following the introduction of solid foods, these organizations recommend continued breastfeeding up to two years and beyond.
Human milk can be given to infants directly through breastfeeding or by pumping or expressing human milk into a cup or bottle. The health benefits of breastfeeding and human milk for infants stem from its composition, which includes vitamins, minerals and antibodies that can prompt its composition to change over time to meet the growing infant’s needs. The dynamic nature of human milk leads to commonly known benefits, such as lower risks of ear and gastrointestinal…
