Why Breastfeeding is Critical on a Global Scale
By Ali Weatherford
This is World Breastfeeding Week. This is one week within the larger National Breastfeeding Awareness Month. It might seem redundant to have a separate and special week to think about World Breastfeeding though. Doesn’t it work the same everywhere? The hardware is the same, and the basic process of lactation works the same wherever you are. But the complications, outcomes, and consequences are felt very differently depending on a person’s circumstances.
Breastfeeding in the United States
Most people in the United States breastfeed at least some. In fact, that number is somewhere around 80%. The percentage goes down to around 60% by the six month mark and significantly less to about 40% at one year. And many of those are not exclusively breastfeeding. Most people in this country are fortunate to have access to education and support related to breastfeeding, although not everyone does. Most people in this country can easily afford or access infant formula when needed or chosen. The fact that a large majority of people choose to breastfeed at least some leads me to believe that there is a general understanding of the benefits of breastfeeding. The reasons those rates decline over time might be more complicated.
- It’s likely that the number drops due to a lack of paid maternity leave and work environments that restrict a person’s ability to pump in order to maintain breastfeeding.
- It might also be a lack of direct support for breastfeeding. If you don’t have family, friends, or professionals offering you good quality information and support, breastfeeding might feel very difficult and hard to maintain.
- Some people don’t understand that there is still a lot of value in breastfeeding even after a baby starts solids, and that might be another reason that breastfeeding declines at the 6 month mark and more beyond. So that would be a lack of good education.
- A lot of people also don’t realize that breastfeeding gets much easier over time. If it’s difficult for the first few weeks and months, you might feel that breastfeeding is just a difficult thing to do. In reality, it might be incredibly difficult for the first few months, and eventually become a very easy thing to maintain. Babies need fewer feedings and get a lot more coordinated and efficient so it doesn’t take as much time or effort. Your milk supply eventually normalizes and is not as sensitive to minor changes in routine.
Breastfeeding Globally
The picture can look very different in developing countries around the world. The early breastfeeding initiation rates are lower, and the reasons that people don’t continue to breastfeed through the 6 month or one year milestones are different.
- There is very little education provided to women and families about breastfeeding in developing countries.
- But there IS significant promotion of formula brands in hospitals and in general marketing.
- There is little support for early breastfeeding initiation by qualified professionals and even fewer options for help after a person leaves the hospital.
- There are higher rates of birth complications. When a new parent is recovering from a difficult birth, it’s much less likely they will be able to breastfeed or receive the additional support they need to make it work.
- Babies get formula in the hospitals. It’s very common for a baby to receive formula in the hospital instead of help with breastfeeding or pumping. This can lead to issues with not enough milk supply and end in a family that is dependent on formula.
- There are also often cultural practices that restrict a woman’s ability to breastfeed. In some cultures, it’s normal to give a new family gifts of infant formula. This is done with good intentions, but then a family might become dependent on it and not be able to afford to purchase formula after the gifts run out. In other cultures, it’s normal for a family member to care for the baby while the mother recovers from birth. But that separation can lead to low milk supply and a dependence on formula.
Why Is This a Problem?
In the United States, most people can easily find formula and figure out a way to afford it. For the most part, we have safe water sources. So if formula is needed or chosen, there aren’t the same kinds of immediate consequences. Babies can be very healthy, and families can continue to thrive. However, we do know there are added benefits to breastfeeding. Costs can be lower to families as well as to our health care system. There are also health benefits to babies and breastfeeding parents. When breastfeeding rates go down, health declines, and health care costs rise. Additionally, there are environmental impacts to formula use. The manufacturing process, and the waste produced by this very large industry, can have a negative impact on our physical world.
In developing nations, this can look very different. A dependence on formula might mean death. In places where the water supply is unsafe, formula is mixed with unsafe water and babies get sick or die from water contamination. When a new mother is not encouraged or taught to breastfeed early on and the baby is given formula, the milk supply is often lost. Then when the family can no longer afford to buy formula, or can’t find it, babies are given watered down formula or other less safe options which often leads to malnutrition and even death. UNICEF and The World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that approximately 800,000 babies and children die every year because of malnutrition or complications caused by improper formula feeding.
What We Can Do
Unicef, WHO, other humanitarian organizations, and even world governments are calling for an end to predatory formula marketing. We’ve seen big changes in the United States, but we’re not all the way there yet. We are still seeing LOTS of marketing, just in new ways. And in other more vulnerable nations, there are still formula brand posters on the walls of hospitals and doctors’ offices, and representatives from formula companies handing out free samples to newly postpartum families. Whenever we can, it’s important to speak out against these marketing efforts. We can let our dollars and our habits speak. When I get unwanted ads like this in my social media feed, I report them. If one of my favorite podcasts starts running ads for formula companies, I write to them and unsubscribe.
Awareness and promotional efforts need to shift toward education, and support for breastfeeding instead. Breast milk is the standard for infant nutrition. It’s the way the very vast majority of humans have fed their babies since the beginning. Breast milk is what our bodies are designed to produce and digest and use. We need to normalize and standardize breastfeeding and breastfeeding support.
The theme for World Breastfeeding Week 2026 is Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works. We can uplift the people who are making these efforts by buying their products, using their services, sharing their feeds, recommending them to friends, and sending them words of encouragement.
Breastfeeding Success is here to support families every day and around the clock. Please get in touch with us when you need help. 512-808-0237. And please share all of our resources, including our FREE ones to the new parents in your community.
References
About Breastfeeding Data – CDC
Global breastfeeding efforts: a long way to go – PMC
How the marketing of formula milk influences our decisions on infant feeding. UNICEF.
