Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding Around the World

Japan

Traditionally, Japanese women gave birth at home and breastfed with the help of breast massage. Weaning was often late, with breastfeeding in rare cases continuing until early adolescence. After World War II Western medicine was taken to Japan and the women began giving birth in hospitals, where the baby was usually taken to the nursery and fed formula. In 1974 a new breastfeeding promotional campaign by the government helped to boost the awareness of its benefits and its prevalence has sharply increased. Japan became the first developed country to have a baby-friendly hospital, and as of 2006 has another 24 such facilities.

Canada

A 2003 La Leche League International study found that 72% of Canadian mothers initiate breastfeeding and that 31% continue to do so past four to five months.  A 1996 article in the Canadian Journal of Public Health found that, in Vancouver, 82.9% of mothers initiated breastfeeding, but that this differed by Caucasian (91.6%) and non-Caucasian (56.8%) women.  Just 18.2% of mothers breastfeed at nine months; breastfeeding practices were significantly associated with the mothers’ marital status, education and family income.

Cuba

Since 1940, Cuba’s constitution has contained a provision officially recognising and supporting breastfeeding. Article 68 of the 1975 constitution reads, in part: During the six weeks immediately preceding childbirth and the six weeks following, a woman shall enjoy obligatory vacation from work on pay at the same rate, retaining her employment and all the rights pertaining to such employment and to her labour contract. During the nursing period, two extraordinary daily rest periods of a half hour each shall be allowed her to feed her child

United States

By June 2006, 36 states had enacted legislation to protect breastfeeding mothers and their children. Laws protecting the right to nurse aim to change attitudes and promote increased incidence and duration of breastfeeding.  Recent attempts to codify a child’s right to nurse were unsuccessful in West Virginia and other states.  Breastfeeding in public is legal in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_and_culture_of_breastfeeding

Government campaigns and strategies around the world include:

National Breastfeeding Week in the United Kingdom

Department of Health and Ageing Breastfeeding Strategy in Australia

The National Women’s Health Information Center in the United States

World Breastfeeding Week

As a mother of two wonderful children breastfeeding was important part of ensuring my children were raised healthy. I was able to breastfeed my daughter longer than my son.  My son had a difficult time latching which made nursing almost impossible and I did not pump enough milk for him.  I have to say my daughter rarely gets sick.  My son seems to get sick often.  I can actually see the difference between breast milk and formula when it comes their health and catching colds/flu.   In the almost ten years working in the daycare field I am finding less mothers breastfeeding.  I would think with all the information available more mothers would be sending breast milk with their baby to school.