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Childhood obesity is an epidemic. In the US, 1 preschooler in 5 is at
least overweight, and half of these are obese. Breastfeeding helps
protect against childhood obesity. A baby's risk of becoming an
overweight child goes down with each month of breastfeeding. In the US,
most babies start breastfeeding, but within the first week, half have
already been given formula, and by 9 months, only 31% of babies are
breastfeeding at all. Hospitals can either help or hinder mothers and
babies as they begin to breastfeed. The Baby- Friendly Hospital
Initiative describes Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding that have
been shown to increase breastfeeding rates by providing support to
mothers. Unfortunately, most US hospitals do not fully support
breastfeeding; they should do more to make sure mothers can start and
continue breastfeeding.
The latest findings show that most hospitals do not fully support breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding helps protect against childhood obesity and other illnesses, and lowers medical costs.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends babies be fed
nothing but breast milk for about the first 6 months and continue
breastfeeding for at least 1 year. - Babies who are fed formula and stop breastfeeding early have
higher risks of obesity, diabetes, respiratory and ear infections, and
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and tend to require more doctor
visits, hospitalizations, and prescriptions. - Low rates of breastfeeding add $2.2 billion a year to medical costs.
- Mothers who breastfeed have lower risks of breast and ovarian cancers.
Hospitals should do more to help mothers start and continue breastfeeding.
- Hospitals that wait to start the first breastfeed, or separate
babies from mothers, or routinely give formula to breastfeeding babies
make it harder for mothers and babies to be able to breastfeed. - When hospitals support mothers to feed their babies only breast
milk, it helps mothers to continue feeding only breast milk at home.
Baby-Friendly hospitals make special efforts to support mothers to breastfeed.
- The World Health Organization/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital
Initiative, endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, recognizes
hospitals that follow the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. - When hospitals have more of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding in place, mothers breastfeed longer.
Source: CDC