As World Breastfeeding Week comes to an end, I think about a question that I often get asked as a pediatric dietitian and lactation consultant, which is: how long should I continue to breastfeed?
I recently heard a colleague refer to breastfeeding as a journey. I like this description because a journey does not imply a set beginning or end, it depicts a personal path. Breastfeeding is a journey or personal path that can be both rewarding and challenging for mothers and families. The answer to how long a mother should breastfed is: as long as it continues to work for that mother and her baby, whether that is two days, two weeks, two months, two years or longer.
Breastfeeding should be a public health priority in the United States to help support mothers to breastfeed for as long as they want. Feed to Succeed celebrates all breastfeeding mothers, no matter what their breastfeeding journey is or has been!
