Breastfeeding

Many women choose to breastfeed their babies due to the significant health benefits provided over infant formula for both baby and mother. Any amount of breastfeeding has positive effects and the longer a child is breastfed for, the longer the health benefits will last for both baby and mother.

What is Breastfeeding?

Breast milk from the mother, or another lactating mother (in case of unwilling mothers and royalty), has nourished, protected and helped raise babies since time immemorial. Like all mammals humans possess mammary glands for the purpose of feeding their infants before they are ready for food from other sources.

Breastfeeding Questions

When Should I Not Breastfeed My Baby?

Breastfeeding and Diet

Breastfeeding and Allergies

Breastfeeding: Smoking, Drugs and Alcohol

Breastfeeding and Medications

What are the Health Benefits of Breastfeeding?

Sleeping Close to Baby

Breastfeeding, Preparing for Arrival

How do I Manage Breastfeeding and Work?

Breastfeeding Pumps

See more featured articles »

Breast Anatomy

Breastfeeding and Hormones

Breastfeeding Tips

What is Breast Compression?

Correct Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding and Vitamin D

Breastfeeding Around Family

Breastfeeding and Jaundice

Breastfeeding and Reflux

Breastfeeding and Cleft Palate, Cleft Lip

Breastfeeding Twins or Multiples

Breastfeeding During Pregnancy

Breastfeeding after Breast Surgery

Breastfeeding Inducing Lactation

Storing Breast Milk

What is a Galactocele?

Overactive Let-Down (OALD) Reflex

Smoking and Breastfeeding

Latest Breastfeeding News and Research

Pilot survey provides data on the unique needs of new fathers

While federal legislation requires tracking and reporting data on maternal health behaviors around childbirth, fathers have been overlooked in these public health efforts to improve maternal and infant outcomes.

24 Jan 2022

Study finds no proof of recently infected mothers transmitting SARS-CoV-2 through breastmilk

There is no evidence of recently infected mothers transmitting infectious SARS-CoV-2 through breastmilk to their baby, reports a study published in the journal Pediatric Research.

20 Jan 2022

Analyzing milk produced after maternal COVID-19 diagnosis for the presence of SARS-CoV-2

A recent paper in the journal Frontiers in Immunology describes the demonstration of mucosal antibodies in breast milk that specifically target the virus.

13 Jan 2022

Breastfeeding linked to reduced cardiovascular disease risk in mothers

Women who breastfed were less likely to develop heart disease or a stroke, or die from cardiovascular disease than women who did not breastfeed, according to a meta-analysis published today in a pregnancy spotlight issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA), an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

11 Jan 2022

Study reveals widespread impact of COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and newborn care in Europe

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to deficiencies and large inequalities in the care of mothers and newborns in Europe.

10 Jan 2022

Vaccinated mothers transfer SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to their breastfed infants

Women vaccinated against COVID-19 transfer SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to their breastfed infants, potentially giving their babies passive immunity against the coronavirus, according to University of Massachusetts Amherst research.

7 Jan 2022

Study adds new evidence supporting the safety of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy

Pregnant people who contract COVID-19 have an increased risk of disease severity and death, yet only 31% of pregnant people in the United States had received vaccines as of September 2021.

4 Jan 2022

Victims of domestic abuse to be given longer time to report the offense to the police

Under the changes, victims of domestic abuse will be allowed more time to report incidents of common assault or battery against them. Currently, prosecutions must commence within six months of the offense.

4 Jan 2022

Study illustrates the impact of COVID-19 on breastfeeding

The percentage of infants fully breastfed at 1,3, and 6 months significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic among participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Southern California.

16 Dec 2021

Researchers review transmission, origin, pathogenesis, animal model and diagnosis of Zika virus

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Dallas Vue and Qiyi Tang from Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA review transmission, origin, pathogenesis, animal model and diagnosis of Zika Virus.

9 Dec 2021

WHO announces new commitments to accelerate progress on 2025 nutrition targets

COVID-19 and climate change have exacerbated malnutrition in all its forms and threatened the sustainability and resilience of food systems around the world. At the Nutrition for Growth Summit in Tokyo on 7 – 8 December 2021, the World Health Organization has announced six new commitments to accelerate progress on the 2025 nutrition targets which have been pushed even further off course during the pandemic.

8 Dec 2021

International guidelines may lead to over-diagnosis of cow's milk allergy in children

International guidelines developed to help doctors diagnose cow's milk allergy may lead to over-diagnosis, according to University of Bristol-led research published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy today [8 December].

7 Dec 2021

Disparities in maternal mental health during COVID-19

In new research, scientists studied individuals who gave birth during COVID-19. Using propensity score matching (PSM), they matched those identified as either Black or Latinx with those identified as non-Hispanic white on sociodemographic. This recent study published as a preprint on the medRxiv* server attempts to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on childbirth-related health outcomes in individuals belonging to Black or Latinx minority groups.

6 Dec 2021

Antipsychotic drugs associated with increase in risk of breast cancer

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that many commonly prescribed antipsychotic medications are associated with a significant increase in risk of breast cancer.

6 Dec 2021

Immune cells play a much larger role in the onset of allergies than previously thought

A ground-breaking discovery from the Malaghan Institute has shone a light on immune cells in the skin, suggesting they play a much larger role in the onset of allergies than first thought.

2 Dec 2021

New assessment finds 40% of the adults to be obese or overweight

The fight against obesity and undernourishment stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 40 per cent of adults now obese or overweight, the world's leading independent assessment of the state of global nutrition has found.

1 Dec 2021

Directly addressing falsehoods could help debunk health misinformation

With the world in the grip of a global pandemic, health misinformation has become a matter of life or death. But using audio dramas delivered on WhatsApp to explicitly address falsehoods could help Africa tackle this scourge, a study suggests.

24 Nov 2021

Review launched into impact of potential bias in the design and use of medical devices

A far-reaching review is being launched into the impact of potential bias in the design and use of medical devices.

21 Nov 2021

Long-term Pfizer vaccine-elicited SARS-CoV-2 antibody profile in breast milk

A new study indicates that the Pfizer vaccine induces antibodies in the breast milk against SARS-CoV-2.

17 Nov 2021

Study reveals ways to debunk highly prevalent health misinformation

The current pandemic shows how quickly health misinformation can spread. However, there are tools to debunk misinformation as demonstrated by a new study on health communication strategies from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the journal BMJ Global Health.

10 Nov 2021