Breastfeeding Reports And Publications

Breastfeeding is vitally important to the health of mothers and their infants.  Breast milk contains the best nutrients to help infants grow and to protect against common childhood illnesses and infections. And research shows that allergic diseases, asthma, obesity, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and some types of cancer may occur less often in mothers who have breastfed their babies.

Most mothers want to breastfeed but stop early due to a lack of support. More than two-thirds of breastfeeding mothers have already begun using formula by the time their infants are three months old. By six months more than half of mothers have given up on breastfeeding, and mothers who breastfeed one-year-olds or toddlers are a rarity in our society.

Explore the publications below to learn why breastfeeding matters and what the Surgeon General is doing to give mothers the support they need to make breastfeeding their first choice for infant nutrition.