As leaders within the professional world, caretakers within the home, and advocates in various communities throughout the nation, a woman’s work is never done! This is especially true of new mothers, who also face the great responsibility of dually managing the nutritional health of their infant and themselves.  Nevertheless, new mothers can properly manage this task by staying informed and exploring options for maintaining both maternal and child nutritional health.

Breastfeeding has maintained its rank among researchers and health professionals alike as the preferred choice in provisional nutrition for both the infant and mother. Breastfeeding provides the essential nutritional components for adequate growth and development of infants, including fats, water, sugar, and protein (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The National Women’s Health Center). A beneficial form of nutrition, breastfeeding provides infants with the necessary immunity to infectious and noninfectious diseases. Breastfed infants also experience less severe cases of diarrhea, respiratory, and ear infections (HHS Blueprint for Action on Breastfeeding, 2007).  In addition, they have a reduction in risk for gastroenteritis, severe lower respiratory tract infections, eczema, asthma, obesity, Type 1 and 2 diabetes, childhood leukemia, and sudden infant death syndrome (Breastfeeding and Maternal Infant Health Outcomes in Developed Countries, April 2007). Like their infants, mothers who choose to breastfeed could also receive various health benefits. They experience less postpartum bleeding, quicker return to pre-pregnancy weight, and a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers, as well as osteoporosis. Breastfeeding further provides the community with various benefits in regards to health care, education, employment, and the environment.

Despite its great effect upon maternal and child nutritional health, many women throughout the nation remain uninformed about the benefits of breastfeeding. Statistics illustrate that breastfeeding is lowest amongst women who are younger than 20 years of age, black, less well-educated, less affluent, and living in southeastern states (Dr. Gregory Finn, The Science of Infant Nutrition, April 2007).  Furthermore, for those women who cannot or choose not to breastfeed, it is critical to provide information to mothers about other infant nutrition options, including fortified formulas. 

In response to these issues, Women In Government, a national nonprofit, bipartisan organization of state legislators, recently conducted an event entitled Outreach to Vulnerable Populations: States Offices of Women’s Health and Legislative Collaboration Training Sessions. During these sessions, state legislators and others were provided with expert forums and educational resources on a variety of issues including infant nutrition.  Discussions at this meeting included: choices in infant nutrition, access issues featuring the Women, Infants and Children program, socio-cultural influences on breastfeeding, and strategies to create supportive environments for new mothers. Embracing the adage that “it takes a village to raise a child,” Women In Government continues to advocate for the necessary educational resources to assist mothers and children nationwide. 

For more information about Women In Government’s programs, educational resources, and upcoming events, please visit www.womeningovernment.org. 

(This article was written by Brittany Gail Thomas, Public Policy Intern, Women In Government.)