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

Study finds no link between SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy and complications in neonates

In a new study published in the esteemed journal JAMA researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital have examined the association between a positive SARS-CoV-2 test during pregnancy and complications in mothers and their newborn babies.

23 Sep 2020

Women with prolonged fertility have elevated dementia risk

Women with a longer reproductive period had an elevated risk for dementia in old age, compared with those who were fertile for a shorter period, a population-based study from the University of Gothenburg shows.

17 Sep 2020

Researchers aim to improve digital thermal imaging as a tool for monitoring cancer

Thermal imaging has been available for decades to detect temperature differences on the skin that could signal breast cancer without exposing patients to radiation, although the method is not as reliable as mammography.

8 Sep 2020

Researchers launch study to evaluate safety of HIV prevention methods in breastfeeding women

The development of safe and effective HIV prevention methods for cisgender women has long been a global health priority, yet research in women during pregnancy and breastfeeding, when they are most vulnerable to infection, has lagged years behind.

31 Aug 2020

NPS MedicineWise offers information to prevent hay fever symptoms

For hay fever sufferers, spring means sneezing, itchy eyes and a runny nose. Medicines can bring some relief to these symptoms, and some medicines can help prevent the symptoms if taken regularly.

27 Aug 2020

No safe level of caffeine consumption for pregnant women

A new study shows that caffeine consumption by pregnant mothers could harm the fetus and baby. The new study titled, "Maternal caffeine consumption and pregnancy outcomes: a narrative review with implications for advice to mothers and mothers-to-be," was published in the latest issue of the journal British Medical Journal Evidence Based Medicine.

26 Aug 2020

Perspective: COVID-19 human milk research should be conducted without disrupting lactation

Scientists have launched a number of human milk and lactation studies to determine if SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted to infants through human milk.

25 Aug 2020

No evidence of active SARS-CoV-2 in breastmilk of infected women

A recent study published in the journal JAMA in August 2020 suggests that SARS-CoV-2 RNA does not represent replication-competent virus and that breast milk may not be a source of infection for infants.

20 Aug 2020

Breast milk is not a potential source of infection, indicates study

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread around the world, so do the concerns of breastfeeding mothers.Although there have been no documented cases to date of an infant contracting COVID-19 as a result of consuming infected breast milk, the critical question of whether there is potential for this form of transmission remains.

20 Aug 2020

Study: Vitamin D supplementation is associated with compositional changes in a baby's microbiome

New research from the CHILD Cohort Study has shed light on the influence of vitamin D supplementation on a baby's developing gut microbiome.

19 Aug 2020

Study to explore risks and benefits of breastfeeding during COVID-19

To breastfeed or not to breastfeed? Science has long supported that "breast is best," but COVID-19 has brought with it new questions related to the benefits and/or potential risks of breastfeeding during this pandemic.

18 Aug 2020

Pasteurization inactivates SARS‐CoV ‐2 in human milk, study finds

A new study has confirmed what researchers already suspected to be the case: heat inactivates SARS-CoV-2 in human milk.

13 Aug 2020

Researchers recommend inclusion of pregnant and breastfeeding women in COVID-19 vaccine trials

Researchers from the United Kingdom have published their views on the inclusion of pregnant women in clinical trials for vaccines against the novel coronavirus and the related challenges this presents. Their article titled, “Inclusion of pregnant women in COVID-19 vaccine development”, was published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

12 Aug 2020

Oxytocin can aid in the control and prevention of osteoporosis

Oxytocin, produced by the hypothalamus and sometimes known as the "love hormone" for its involvement in pair bonding and orgasm, can be a strong ally in the control and prevention of osteoporosis, according to a study by scientists at São Paulo State University in Brazil.

10 Aug 2020

Maternal cannabis use in pregnancy linked to increased risk of autism in children

In the largest study of its kind, Ottawa researchers found that children whose mothers reported using cannabis during pregnancy were at greater risk of autism.

10 Aug 2020

Researchers to test the effectiveness of intervention that addresses barriers to breastfeeding

A mother's own breast milk has infection-fighting factors and nutrients to help fuel growth and development in babies and may be easier to digest than formula.

4 Aug 2020

Monthly vaginal ring for HIV prevention receives positive opinion from EMA

The International Partnership for Microbicides today welcomed a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency on the dapivirine vaginal ring for use by cisgender women ages 18 and older in developing countries to reduce their risk of HIV-1 infection.

24 Jul 2020

Monthly vaginal ring moves one step closer to becoming a new HIV prevention method

A vaginal ring intended to be used for a month at a time has moved one step closer to potentially becoming a new HIV prevention method for cisgender women in sub-Saharan Africa, who despite being the face of the epidemic, have few options for protecting themselves against getting infected.

24 Jul 2020

Study reveals global trends in premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer

Breast cancer rates among women globally are on the rise, but new research is uncovering trends related to age and where you live that could help target prevention measures to improve the situation.

23 Jul 2020

Breastfeeding support for new mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic grips the world, concerns about transmission of the highly infectious causative agent – severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) - from mother to the baby are valid.

21 Jul 2020