Today is the first day of #NationalBreastfeedingWeek.
Did you know that Health Canada, whenever possible, recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed until they are 6 months old and then continue with addition of appropriate complimentary foods until up to 2+ years of age?
In Canada, 91% of mothers initiate breastfeeding, but of those, ~15% will stop before the baby reaches 1 month and 22% stop when the baby is between 1-6 months.
By the time the baby reaches 6 months, the exclusive breastfeeding rate in Canada in only 34.5% and the any breastfeeding rate (some breastmilk + other fluids/foods) at 6 months is 62%.
These numbers illustrate how important it is for the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding to be encouraged among our communities.
