Miscellaneous
The U.S. has some of the highest maternal and infant death rates out of all developed countries, and these numbers are even higher for black women and infants. What can we do to address such a disturbing fact. There is one thing we can do to help reduce the gap in health equity early on, and that is take breastfeeding seriously. Despite the recommendation for infants to breastfeed exclusively for their first 6 months, the CDC reports only 26% of American infants meet the criteria. There are several reasons for this low percentage. First, many parents aren’t receiving support from their doctors. Pediatricians may not have the most accurate infant feeding information because they only receive an average of 3 hours of breastfeeding education per year in medical school, according to an article in Pediatrics. Next, a 2019 article in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report pointed out that black parents are less likely to receive breastfeeding support and are more likely to be given