Breastfeeding provides infants with the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development. Breast milk contains many beneficial nutrients that can protect a baby against infections and disease.[1] It is recommended that mothers exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months.[2],[3]
| Exclusive breastfeeding for six months |
About the MeasureThis measure comes from the Infant Feeding Survey (IFS) collected by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. The IFS asks new mothers about their feeding habits for the first year of their infant’s life. Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as feeding an infant no other food or drink, excluding vitamins, minerals, or medications.[4] Key FindingsExclusive breastfeeding at 6 months was reported by 45.7% of mothers in 2016. This means that less than half of mothers followed the recommended guidelines for exclusive breastfeeding. Data collected at the initial assessment, 2 months, 4 months and 6 months shows that exclusive breastfeeding is most common in the early postpartum period and declines with time.
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Source: Infant Feeding Survey 2016. Extracted March 28, 2018. Prepared by Health Analytics Team, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health.
LimitationsThe IFS is completed voluntarily. Breastfeeding patterns are self-reported and are subject to response bias. The IFS is only completed by women who have given birth and are living with their infants. As a result, feeding behaviours among adoptive and foster parents are not represented in this dataset.
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[1] Horta, B.L., Victora, C.G. (2013) Short-term effects of breastfeeding: A systematic review on the benefits of breastfeeding on diarrhea and pneumonia mortality. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization. Available at: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/95585/9789241506120_eng.pdf?sequence=1
[2] Public Health Agency of Canada. (2014). Breastfeeding and infant nutrition. Ottawa, ON: Public Health Agency of Canada. Available at: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/dca-dea/stages-etapes/childhood-enfance_0-2/nutrition/index-eng.php
[3] World Health Organization. (2001). Global strategy for infant and young child feeding. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization. Available at: http://apps.who.int/gb/archive/pdf_files/WHA54/ea54id4.pdf?ua=1&ua=1
[4] World Health Organization. (2017). Nutrition. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization. Available at: http://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/newborn/nutrition/breastfeeding/en/