breast-feeding

An Elizabethan stoneware suckling-bottle with a spout in the shape of a nipple. Wet-nurses (lactating women who for payment provided a number of infants not their own with milk) were common in England during that period and for some centuries after. Feeding more than one infant at a time can quickly lead to discomfort, so explaining the need for such a bottle.

In medicine, the process by which a baby gains its nourishment from milk secreted from the breast, by sucking on the nipple. Breast milk provides complete nutrition and additional protection from infection for the infant, and helps to establish ‘bonding’ between the mother and the baby. It also helps the mother to return to her previous body weight and encourages the uterus to shrink to normal size following childbirth. The early establishment of breast feeding maintains and improves the milk supply.

Nursing mothers need to increase their intake of food and drinks to ensure that the milk supply is maintained. The extra food intake should be in the form of bread, cereals, pulses, and rice, which also provide generous amounts of the vitamins and minerals that are essential for infant health. Infants are usually weaned between four and six months but milk remains a crucial component of their diet even after the introduction of solid foods. Breast-feeding can be continued as long as the mother wants to do so.

The American Academy of Pediatrics amended its policy on recommended period of breastfeeding in 1997. It extended the period from 6–12 months to at least 12 months. Only 1 in 5 US mothers is still breastfeeding her baby 6 months after birth.