According to the Philips Mother & Child Care Index, expecting and new parents in the U.S. are doing whatever they can to ensure their children have a healthy future, including breastfeeding their babies for as long as possible. The newly released special report surveyed 5,600 parents from across the United States, South Africa, Egypt, U.S., Brazil, China and India regarding their breastfeeding experience and prenatal care, as well as parent’s overall health and well-being, including stress and sleep factors.
According to the investigators, the report highlighted that women are enthusiastic about breastfeeding, with 95% of women reporting to have at least attempted to breastfeed, and 35% of women breastfeeding their babies for a duration of between four and six months, and another 52% reporting that they breastfed for seven to twelve months.
72% of parents reported that they would like to breastfeed for as long as possible. The survey revealed that the top two reasons for stopping to breastfeed were pain and lack of milk supply, as well as returning to the workplace.
Katy Hartley, Director for the Philips Center for Health and Well-being commented:
“The findings show that parents are placing a very high value on breastfeeding. There is an opportunity to help parents who want to breastfeed their children for longer than six months, but lack the resources to help cope with problems that may arise.”
The main reason that stopped women from breastfeeding within the first three months was pain, whilst lack of supply commonly caused women to give up breastfeeding between three and seven months. 67% of American women compared with 40% of women globally reported that their reason for stopping was a lack of milk supply, and in comparison to 41% of mothers globally, 73% of American women completed a breastfeeding course.
Ron Tiktin, Marketing Director, Philips AVENT stated:
“Parents’ commitment to breastfeeding should be bolstered by a recent IRS ruling that expenses paid for breast pumps are deductible medical expenses under IRS Section 213(d). As a result, expenses for these items may now be reimbursed by Flexible Spending Arrangements, Health Reimbursement Arrangements and Health Savings Accounts. Given the numerous health benefits associated with breastfeeding, Philips AVENT is committed to providing parents the means to continue breastfeeding for as long as possible with our breast pumps.”
According to the survey, two thirds of parents reported feeling stressed, with the primary stressors, i.e. the economy and the parents’ ability to pay bills, reflecting the country’s uncertain economic state. Mothers report they feel more stressed than fathers, with stress levels reported to be higher as the number of children increases.
The survey also pointed out that parents made use of the excellent prenatal care, with 96% of women reporting to have received regular sonograms, 12-week scans and 20-week scans as part of their prenatal regimen. In addition, the survey showed that 89% of fathers and 64% of mothers consulted with their GPs for health advice during pregnancy.
The results are part of a global survey that has been conducted by the Philips Center for Health and Well-being amongst parents between the ages of 18 to 40 years, who are either expecting a baby, or have newborns or children up to the age of five years.
Written by Petra Rattue