Abstract
Breastfeeding seems to be a low-cost intervention that provides both short- and long-term
health benefits for the breastfeeding woman. Interventions to support breastfeeding
can increase its rate, exclusivity, and duration. Internists often have a longitudinal
relationship with their patients and can be important partners with obstetricians
and pediatricians in advocating for breastfeeding. To play their unique and critical
role in breastfeeding promotion, internists need to be knowledgeable about breastfeeding
and its maternal health benefits. In this paper, we review the short- and long-term
maternal health benefits of breastfeeding. We also discuss special considerations
in the care of breastfeeding women for the internist.
Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: March 07, 2019
Footnotes
Funding: No specific financial support was obtained for preparation of this article.
Conflict of Interest: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to declare with respect to this paper.
Authorship: All persons who meet authorship criteria are listed as authors, and all authors certify that they have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content, including participation in the concept, design, analysis, writing, or revision of the manuscript.
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