Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk

Abstract

Breastfeeding and human milk are the normative standards for infant feeding and nutrition. Given the documented short- and long-term medical and neurodevelopmental advantages of breastfeeding, infant nutrition should be considered a public health issue and not only a lifestyle choice. The American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirms its recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for about 6 months, followed by continued breastfeeding as complementary foods are introduced, with continuation of breastfeeding for 1 year or longer as mutually desired by mother and infant. Medical contraindications to breastfeeding are rare. Infant growth should be monitored with the World Health Organization (WHO) Growth Curve Standards to avoid mislabeling infants as underweight or failing to thrive. Hospital routines to encourage and support the initiation and sustaining of exclusive breastfeeding should be based on the American Academy of Pediatrics-endorsed WHO/UNICEF “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.” National strategies supported by the US Surgeon General’s Call to Action, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and The Joint Commission are involved to facilitate breastfeeding practices in US hospitals and communities. Pediatricians play a critical role in their practices and communities as advocates of breastfeeding and thus should be knowledgeable about the health risks of not breastfeeding, the economic benefits to society of breastfeeding, and the techniques for managing and supporting the breastfeeding dyad. The “Business Case for Breastfeeding” details how mothers can maintain lactation in the workplace and the benefits to employers who facilitate this practice.

Prevalence and hospitalization rates due to diarrhoea in infants: the 2006 Brazilian National Demographic Health Survey

“…The protective effect of breast milk against infectious diseases might be displayed by this result; this effect occurs not only due to breast milk's direct anti-infective action via the presence of secretory immunoglobulin-A in human milk but also due to all of breast milk's advantages in infant feeding. [33] Together, both benefits of breast milk contribute to children's health, especially by decreasing the occurrence of diseases with multifactorial causes like diarrhea. [4,31,34] However, this research did not analyze breastfeeding during the two weeks before the data were gathered or the duration of age-appropriate exclusive breastfeeding due to the lack of information about quantity and frequency of breastfeeding, the adequacy of which differs according to age.…”

Breastfeeding History and Risk of Stroke Among Parous Postmenopausal Women in the Women's Health Initiative

“…Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months,48 with continuation of breastfeeding for 1 year or longer, which is also recommended by the World Health Organization 49. Compared with the Healthy People 2020 target for exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months,50 exclusivity rates for US women are particularly low, especially for Hispanic and non‐Hispanic black women (Figure).…”

Protective effect of breastfeeding against childhood leukemia in Zhejiang Province, P. R. China: a retrospective case-control study

“…Any volume of breast milk is protective, associated with a 64% reduction in the incidence of nonspecific gastrointestinal infections [10]. The duration of lactation is inversely related to the risk of overweight; each extra month of breastfeeding is associated with a 4% decrease in risk [11]. Those not breastfed at discharge had a 33% higher risk of developing diabetes within the first 20 years of life [12].…”