Breastfeeding & Human Lactation

Catalog description

Human milk is recognized universally as the optimal diet for newborn infants. Suboptimal breastfeeding rates are a global public health issue. Despite the World Health Organization recommending early exclusive breastfeeding with continued breastfeeding through at least age 2, these recommendations are not being met. Less than 50% of infants are breastfed within the first hour of birth and only 40% of infants receive exclusive human milk for the first 6 months. The World Health Organization has promoted breastfeeding as a primary preventive health strategy for over 25 years. In January 2011, the United States Surgeon General released a Call for Breastfeeding Action stating, “we all have a role in helping mothers to breastfeed”. Through classroom and clinical experiences, this course will provide an in-depth examination of the anatomy and physiology of lactation, essential aspects of establishing and maintaining lactation, and the nurses' role in counseling the breastfeeding family. Emphasis will be placed on current research findings from around the world.