Educating pregnant women about breastfeeding is an integral part of good prenatal care and ideally should begin even before pregnancy. One of ACOG's goals is to help achieve the US Public Health Service's Healthy People 2010 objective of having 75 percent of new mothers initiate breastfeeding after delivery and 50 percent breastfeeding at 6 months. Breastfeeding has also been linked to a possible enhancement in cognitive development in children. And we know that women rely heavily on the recommendations of their physicians.
Short hospital stays limit opportunity for adequate instruction of breastfeeding for new mothers.
To help counter this, ACOG recommends that hospitals adopt specific practices to encourage breastfeeding. ACOG cautions that giving new mothers gift packs developed by formula makers is a common deterrent to breastfeeding. Alternative gift packs without commercial, health-related items may be preferable since there is no implied professional recommendation. Although nearly every woman can successfully breastfeed, there are a few exceptions. Women who take illegal drugs, are heavy alcohol users, take certain medications, or who are undergoing breast cancer treatment should not breastfeed.