Breast feeding

Abstract

Full term newborn infants should be breast fed, except if there are specific contraindications or when breast feeding is unsuccessful. Education about breast feeding should be provided in schools for all children, and better education about breast feeding and infant nutrition should be provided in the curriculum of physicians and nurses. Information about breast feeding should also be presented in public communications media. Prenatal instruction should include both theoretical and practical information about breast feeding. Attitudes and practices in prenatal clinics and in maternity wards should encourage a climate which favors breast feeding. The staff should include nurses and other personnel who are not only favorably disposed toward breast feeding, but also knowledgeable and skilled in the art. Consultation between maternity services and agencies committed to breast feeding should be strengthened. Studies should be conducted on the feasibility of breast feeding infants at day nurseries adjacent to places of work subsequent to an appropriate leave of absence following the birth of an infant.