I have two hours until I’m due to breastfeed my seventh-month-old baby again, so I’ll make this quick: Breastfeeding is really hard for many and our environment and current policy context makes it even harder.
The month of August has been declared “National Breastfeeding Month” by the United States Breastfeeding Committee — an organization committed to “creating a landscape of breastfeeding support” by advocating for policy changes to facilitate breastfeeding. Since the U.S. Surgeon General released a “Call to Action” to better support breastfeeding mothers and babies in 2011, many support efforts have been initiated, but we still have a long way to go. In fact, just a few weeks ago, the U.S. opposed a worldwide resolution to support breastfeeding at the World Health Assembly.
As a health researcher, I decided during my pregnancy that I would breastfeed my baby based on the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines given the well-documented health benefits for both of us. At a prenatal breastfeeding class, we practiced the recommended breastfeeding positions using baby dolls, and I felt completely ready for what was sure to be a really easy and natural transition once the baby arrived.
Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
