Smart Woman: Breastfeeding Struggles
By: Maxine Ridling
Updated: June 7, 2012
When Adayla Harris was born seven years ago, her mother, Carole, breastfed her exclusively for six months. It was a challenge, but she believes in the benefits.
Carole Harris says she considered bonding time with her child.
Women have good intentions when it comes to breastfeeding, but new statistics show most new mothers aren't following through with their plans. That's a concern for nursing advocates who say babies need nutrition and immunities they can only get from breast milk.
Geri Collins, a RN at Methodist Women's Center says breast milk serves as a medication and a vaccination naturally for new babies and it can't be duplicated.
A new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found many women plan on breastfeeding their babies exclusively, but then stop. Researchers polled almost 1,500 pregnant women and found 85 percent planned on nursing exclusively for three months. But only 32 percent met that goal. Another striking finding was that 15 percent of those women gave up before they left the hospital.
At the Methodist Women's Center in San Antonio, Collins and her staff try to provide support they say women so desperately need to follow through with their breastfeeding plan.
She says she has to remind the mothers that is a process.Babies have to learn and moms have to learn and have a good support system because that's crucial to successful breastfeeding.
Women most likely to meet their original breastfeeding goals were married and had given birth to other children.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding of babies for the first six months of life. Only 15 percent of women meet that goal.
Carole Harris says she considered bonding time with her child.
Women have good intentions when it comes to breastfeeding, but new statistics show most new mothers aren't following through with their plans. That's a concern for nursing advocates who say babies need nutrition and immunities they can only get from breast milk.
Geri Collins, a RN at Methodist Women's Center says breast milk serves as a medication and a vaccination naturally for new babies and it can't be duplicated.
A new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found many women plan on breastfeeding their babies exclusively, but then stop. Researchers polled almost 1,500 pregnant women and found 85 percent planned on nursing exclusively for three months. But only 32 percent met that goal. Another striking finding was that 15 percent of those women gave up before they left the hospital.
At the Methodist Women's Center in San Antonio, Collins and her staff try to provide support they say women so desperately need to follow through with their breastfeeding plan.
She says she has to remind the mothers that is a process.Babies have to learn and moms have to learn and have a good support system because that's crucial to successful breastfeeding.
Women most likely to meet their original breastfeeding goals were married and had given birth to other children.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding of babies for the first six months of life. Only 15 percent of women meet that goal.
