Overcoming barriers to breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is the evolved human infant feeding norm, practiced historically and across cultures. Over the past 200 years, breastfeeding practices have eroded, reaching a nadir in the middle of the 20th century. Mobilization from grassroots social movements, with support from public health and medicine, has yielded a substantial rise in overall breastfeeding prevalence. However, timely initiation, exclusive breastfeeding, and duration of breastfeeding still lag behind global targets. Inadequate breastfeeding leads to substantial morbidity and approximately 600,000 child deaths and an additional 100,000 maternal deaths annually. Most women and pregnant people are physiologically able and desire to breastfeed, however, they face substantial barriers. Effective interventions address health systems, workplace policies, and engage communities and families. However, substantial work remains to implement fully supportive policies across multiple social sectors. Urgent action is needed to limit the pervasive influence of commercial milk formula (CMF) marketing in policy, healthcare, and on families to achieve more equitable outcomes.