Breastfeeding Archives - Pacific Standard

Home Breastfeeding

By 2020, the U.S. government wants more than 60 percent of American babies to be breastfeeding at six months of age.

News in Brief

Getting More Low-Income Americans to Breastfeed Would Lead to Health-Care Savings Down the Line

It would cost about $250 million to get an additional 650,000 low-income Americans to breastfeed as much as experts recommend, but it would save families and the health-care system $1.5 billion, a study finds.

News in Brief

Parental Leave Laws Encourage Breastfeeding

However, new research finds this effect is limited to wealthier women.

A staff member of the South African Breastmilk Reserve in Johannesburg holds a bottle of pasteurized breast milk.

Social Justice

Addressing the Technical, Political, and Religious Concerns of Human Milk Banks

Breast milk offers better nutrition than formula to infants who cannot access their mother's milk. But centers have proliferated, raising other concerns.

A mother feeds a baby with a bottle.

Social Justice

What Research Can Tell Us About Breastfeeding Stigma

Stigma factors into our perceptions of breastfeeding and formula, with serious consequences for infant health.

baby bottles

Social Justice

The Trump Administration’s Anti-Breastfeeding Stance Is Not New. But It Could Be Deadlier Than Ever.

A food oppression expert explains why America's formula problem can only get worse.

A mother breastfeeding her child, circa 1600.

News in Brief

Breastfeeding Produces More Sensitive Mothers

A new study finds moms who spent more months breastfeeding are more responsive to their child's needs.

The Cognitive Benefits of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding may not make bright kids brighter, but it apparently does benefit the kids who could most use a boost.

News in Brief

Breastfeeding Has Health Benefits for Moms Too

A Chinese study shows it lowers their risk of cardiovascular disease.

Black-and-white photo showing a woman in a rocking chair, breastfeeding an infant

News in Brief

The Push to Ban Companies From Advertising Infant Formula

Like many experts, the World Health Organization recommends that babies drink only breast milk for the first six months…