Why Does Breastfeeding Matter for Infants And Their Moms?

Breastfeeding provides a number of key benefits to both moms and babies, but many may not realize just how beneficial it is for early childhood development.

In recognition of National Breastfeeding Month this August, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s PolicyLab spoke with a few experts on breastfeeding and early childhood nutrition.

Diane Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, is a professor of Perinatal Nursing and the Helen M. Shearer Professor of Nutrition at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a nurse researcher and manager of the Lactation Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Senbagam Virudachalam, MD, MSHP, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and CHOP, a general pediatrician and a PolicyLab faculty member who focuses on early childhood nutrition and fostering healthy eating habits in families with young children.

Read more from the interviews in this blog post from PolicyLab.