According to Dr Avinash Lakkampally, MD, pediatrician registered on Buzz4health, “Breastfeeding is the best medicine a mother can give her children during the first six months of their growth”. And fewer than one-third (30.7 percent) are breast-fed at 12 months, the CDC reports.
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Commenting on the findings of the report, director of the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, Dr. Ruth Petersen in a press release said, “We are pleased by the large number of mothers who start out breastfeeding their infants”. However, only about half of infants (51.8%) are still breastfeeding at 6 months of age.
More mothers are choosing to breastfeed their babies, according to a new study.
CDC did a survey and found that 81% of U.S. babies were breastfed from birth.
The CDC however said that the trend seems positive and with most of the mothers breastfeeding their children for quite some time, the United States could hope to achieve its goal of reaching at least 81.9% of newborns being breastfed in the nation, including the 29 states.
Besides the nutritional advantages, breastfeeding defends babies against respiratory diseases, stomach bugs, ear infections, and some allergies.
The CDC further recommended that governments and organisations promote breastfeeding through education programmes, improved maternity care practices in hospitals, peer and professional support for new mothers and sufficient space and equipment to breastfeed or express breast milk in workplaces and childcare centres.
When a mother has her baby close to her, she provides him all nutrients and antibodies needed, and the proximity to the mother is known to be the best protection from illness.
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Most women experience hormonal changes during lactation that cause delay in their menstrual cycle and according to Dr Lakkampally, this can lead to lower estrogen production and cut down the risk of pre- and post-menopausal breast cancer among women.
