“To protect and promote breastfeeding globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in 1991. BFHI aims to promote and support breastfeeding in environments, such as maternity units, and recommends at least six months of exclusive breastfeeding and continued breastfeeding for two years or beyond” (2015).
According to the American Journal of Nursing, “breastfeeding for one year or more reduces the mother's risks of breast and ovarian cancers, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes” and also “suggest that breastfeeding may reduce depressive symptoms (2017).
• Describe the potential social, economic, and cultural implications associated with the Baby-Friendly…show more content… Therefore, these women likely will not benefit from the BFHI.
• A possible economic implication is workplace support. “Workplace support is also essential in promoting continued breastfeeding” (2017). Many women stop breastfeeding when they return to work, but if they are informed of the protection given by Section 4207 of the Affordable Care Act amended the Fair Labor Standards Act, which require employers to provide both time and space for new mothers to express breast milk for their infants for up to one year after birth, maybe more new mothers would continue to exclusively breastfeed their babies.
• A possible social implication of breastfeeding is that breasts are regarded mostly as sexual objects; therefore, women may be embarrassed to breastfeed, especially in public places. Some women may find themselves feeling excluded from social interactions while they are breastfeeding because others are reluctant to be in the same room while they
