2024-07-23 18:27:25
Young French mothers tend to breastfeed their children longer and in larger numbers, according to a large study published on Tuesday July 23 by the agency of Health of France. “In 2021, half of mothers who breastfed their babies did so for twenty weeks, compared to fifteen in 2012.”summarizes this research, which was conducted from a survey of about 3,500 mothers.
“At six months, if less than a quarter of newborns are still breastfed in 2012, more than a third in 2021”, add the authors of this work. These figures include situations of mixed breastfeeding, that is to say where it comes from drinking artificial milk from a bottle. Progression is also noticeable from the time following birth. In the maternity ward, 77% of women will breastfeed their babies in 2021 compared to 74% ten years ago.
France, however, is one of the European countries where breast cancer is practiced the least, a situation that is regretted by the public health center which has come to promote this practice. This position is in line with the positions taken by the World Health Organization (WHO) and major medical journals, such as The lancet.
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Breastfeeding actually has scientific benefits for a baby’s health, especially in terms of its immunity. The extent of these benefits, however, is a subject of debate, especially in developed countries, where infectious diseases represent a low risk and where tap water, used to prepare artificial milk, is safe.
Other demonstrated benefits, such as a reduction in the risk of obesity and diabetes, are, moreover, not necessarily the result of a cause and effect process. The authors of the French Public Health Survey also highlighted the difficulty of resuming work with breastfeeding.
“Half of the mothers who are still breastfeeding at 6 months give their child at least six feeds per day, and are in a difficult situation to adjust peacefully back to professional work”, they wrote, citing the amount of maternity leave as a tool for employment. They point again “inadequate training of health professionals and employers in supporting women who wish to breastfeed”or “Contrary Information Received on Breastfeeding and Infant Feeding”.
Furthermore, the study observed a very good follow-up of the recommendations regarding the beginning of the nutritional diet, that is to say the introduction of non-dairy food. “In 2021, (…)“more than nine out of ten children have started the normalization of their diet within the recommended window, between 4 and 6 months, compared to 80% in 2012”consider the study.
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