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A supportive bra is great when you're breastfeeding.
A supportive environment is even better.

First Candle recognizes that breastfeeding is important for optimal infant and child health and development. We offer the following resources to help you initiate and successfully continue breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has advantages for infants, mothers and families across all sectors, including health, nutritional, immunologic, developmental, psychological, social, economic and environmental benefits. Many studies continue to show that breastfeeding may also reduce the risk of SIDS.

Take advantage of this quality one-on-one time to introduce the breast and begin to establish breastfeeding as your baby’s primary feeding method. Identify resources within your hospital and community that can provide support and ensure success.

Breastfeeding Decreases Infant Mortality
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Data analyzed by scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences suggest that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of death for infants in their first year of life. Looking at infants between 28 days and one year of age, researchers concluded that promoting breastfeeding could potentially prevent up to 720 post-neonatal deaths in the U.S. each year.

Researchers compared CDC records of 1,204 children who died between 28 days and one year of causes other than congenital anomalies or cancer with those of 7,740 children still alive at one year.

Children who were breastfed had 20% lower risk of dying between 28 days and one year than children who weren't breastfed. Longer breastfeeding was associated with lower risk. The effect was the same in both black and white children.

Breastfed infants in the U.S. have lower rates of morbidity, especially from infectious disease, but there are no contemporary US studies of the effect of breastfeeding on all-cause mortality in the first year of life.

The study appears in the May issue of the scientific journal, Pediatrics, and was released at the 2004 Academic Pediatrics Societies meeting in San Francisco on May 2.

Aimin Chen, MD, Ph.D. and Walter J Rogan, MD (both in the Epidemiology Branch at NIEHS, one of the National Institutes of Health) are the authors of the study. Dr. Rogan said, "Although we knew that breastfeeding in the developing world was lifesaving, since it prevented diarrhea and pneumonia, we had no nationally representative data from the US on this very basic outcome. These data show that, even in the US, there is a modest decrease in mortality for breastfed children."

Public Service Campaign to Promote Breastfeeding Awareness Launched
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040604.html

Resources:

La Leche League International

Breastfeeding.com

AAP Policy Statement on Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk

Breastfeeding – Best for Baby, Best for Mom

Breastfeeding: Ideal for Babies

International Lactation Consultant Association

Breastfeeding Support and Promotion Speakers Kit