Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Founder's Lecture 2010: breastfeeding: an obstetrician's view

The value of breastfeeding for mothers, babies, and society is well established, yet in the United States too many women do not breastfeed. The U.S. Public Health Service set forth breastfeeding goals for 2010 and subsequently developed report cards so that breastfeeding trends could be followed for each state. Many efforts are made by healthcare professionals to encourage and support new mothers, but some areas in the United States have low levels of breastfeeding. This report examines aspects of obstetricians' education, role, and responsibility to promote and support breastfeeding. Additionally, some current trends affecting the practice of breastfeeding are considered, including shorter hospital stays, rapidly rising cesarean delivery rates (soon to approach 50%), and increasing proportion of working mothers. Because obstetricians often have the first contact with expectant mothers and there are over 20 million prenatal visits annually in the United States, obstetricians have many opportunities to promote breastfeeding. Together with the efforts of other physicians, nurses, and lactation specialists, we can improve the efforts to promote and support breastfeeding.