Despite the fact that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for newborns until they are at least six months, not even 1 in 3 infants is exclusively breastfed for the first four months of life (WHO, 2008, http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/infantfeeding/en/index.html). I'm not sure exactly why this is.
I was raised in a home where breastfeeding was obviously important: my mother was a member of La Leche League in Port Perry for many years, and all of my sisters who have children have been adamant breast feeders. At family gatherings, it wasn't uncommon for us to talk about how important breastfeeding was for children and how shocking the reality of more and more babies being formula fed right from birth was. When my son was born, breastfeeding wasn't even something we had discussed, it was just assumed that it was what was best for him and would be his only source of nutrition for at least the first six months of his life.
I believe that successful breastfeeding begins with education: mothers, fathers, families, communities, and entire nations need to be better informed of the health benefits associated with breastfeeding; however putting the information out there doesn't mean that everyone will listen or care. I think that nurses and health care providers can really help new mothers to successfully breastfeed their newborns. This means that nurses and health care providers need to be fully aware of the health benefits associated with breastfeeding and how to provide beneficial support for new breastfeeding moms.
Don’t forget...cow’s milk is wonderful for baby cows, and human milk is wonderful for baby humans.
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