By Julia Parmley
In her first call to action as U.S. surgeon general, Regina M. Benjamin advocated for increased support of breastfeeding at GW’s Jack Morton Auditorium Jan. 20.
Introduced by Lynn Goldman, dean of GW’s School of Public Health and Health Services, Dr. Benjamin told the audience that employers, health care community members, and family and friends of new parents must all come together to remove “the barriers that exist” for breastfeeding mothers.
“Prevention is a foundation of the public health system and my work as surgeon general. One of the most highly effective preventative measures a mother can take to protect her child and her own health is to breastfeed,” said Dr. Benjamin. “Given the importance of breastfeeding for the health and well-being of mothers and children, it is critical that we take action across this country to support breastfeeding.”
The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding outlines the challenges mothers who wish to breastfeed may face, including a dearth of workplace and health care resources, a lack of community support and limited knowledge about nursing methods.
“This call to action outlines the evidence-based steps that can help overcome some of these barriers,” said Dr. Benjamin. “Everyone can help to make breastfeeding easier. Whether you’re a clinician, a family member, a friend or an employer, you can play in an important role in supporting mothers who want to breastfeed.”
Breastfeeding provides a variety of health benefits to both mother and child, including protection against diarrhea, ear infections and pneumonia; a decreased risk of asthma, obesity and sudden infant death syndrome; and a lower chance of breast and ovarian cancers.
Improved infant health also means less health care costs for families and employers. Families who follow optimal breastfeeding practices can save up to $1,500 on infant formula during a baby’s first year.
“The decision to breastfeed is really a personal one, and no mother should be made to feel guilty if she cannot or does not want to breastfeed,” said Dr. Benjamin. “However, the success rate of mothers who do want to breastfeed can be greatly improved through the active support of their families, their friends, the community, health care workers, employers and policymakers.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2010 Breastfeeding Report Card, only 43 percent of mothers breastfeed their children after the first six months. Rates for African American babies are even lower, at 28 percent after six months. These rates are significantly lower than the Healthy People 2020 objectives for breastfeeding, which are 82 percent exclusively breastfed, 61 percent at six months and 34 percent at one year.
A panel followed Dr. Benjamin’s remarks featuring Tonya Lewis Lee, award-winning TV producer and wife of director Spike Lee; Sahira Long, president of the D.C. Breastfeeding Coalition; and Gillian Pon, vice president of total rewards and human resources operations for AOL. The women each spoke about their efforts to increase breastfeeding support in their communities.
At the conclusion of the panel, Laurence Grummer-Strawn, nutrition branch chief for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, joined the panelists and Dr. Benjamin on stage to answer questions from the audience.
GW is exploring opportunities to increase its support of breastfeeding mothers. Lori Lerman, wife of GW Provost Steven Lerman, plans to draw on her past experience as an international board-certified lactation consultant to establish a lactation and parenting support program for graduate student and faculty families at GW. Her experience and ongoing work were acknowledged by the Surgeon General in her remarks.
“My daughter, who is an assistant professor at Princeton University, has a one-and-a-half year-old son, and I was able to observe firsthand both the importance of the support she got from the university and the difficulty of being a young mom with a university professorship,” said Mrs. Lerman.
A self-described “avid supporter” of breastfeeding, Mrs. Lerman said she loved every minute of her experience breastfeeding her three children approximately 30 years ago and hopes the U.S. Surgeon General’s call to action will encourage mothers to do the same.
“The fact that this is coming from the federal government is going to have such an impact on health care professionals, mothers and communities,” she said. “We as a country have acknowledged that parents need help on breastfeeding, that breastfeeding is not just an alternative way of feeding but is what’s best for babies and families and ultimately for the community and country and world.”
“Once you’ve established breastfeeding and are used to being a parent, there’s nothing more wonderful,” she added. “Parenting and breastfeeding are fantastic experiences.”