As per a report by scientists at the American Academy of Pediatrics, most women are not exclusively breastfeeding their babies. According to recommendations from WHO, women are supposed to breast feed their kids or provide them with micronutrients for a span of 6 months. No other liquids or solids ought to be given to babies in this time period.
Reported in the journal, Pediatrics, this trial was conducted to gauge if mothers stuck to their breastfeeding plans. For the study, pregnant women were surveyed regarding their intentions of breastfeeding their children. A follow-up trial was conducted after 1 year.
The results showed that 85% of women had plans of breastfeeding their infants for 3 months or longer. But only 32.4% of them apparently breast-fed their kids for the amount of time they intended to. Women who were married and had a previous delivery were likely to breastfeed as long as they wished.
Mothers who started breastfeeding their infants just after an hour of delivery seemed to adhere to their schedules. Also, babies which were not nourished with supplement powders or pacifiers appeared to be breast fed for a longer duration, as compared to those who were not. On the contrary, women who smoked or were obese and had plans of breastfeeding for a long duration supposedly failed to achieve their targets.
The scientists have urged hospital doctors to make sure newborns are fed breast milk right from the beginning. This practice could encourage mothers to breast feed their children for the optimal amount of time. Breastfeeding has been cited to have a range of benefits for children as well as mothers.