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On My Mind
April 2016

The Breastfeeding Pep Talk

Author Affiliations
  • 1Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
JAMA Pediatr. 2016;170(4):317. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.4383

“Many women feel like they aren’t making enough milk, but you are. You’ll be successful if you keep at it.” These words sprung from my mouth at countless visits with mothers of newborns, often chased by my next sentence: “This is the most precious thing you can offer your child.” With a deeply held commitment to preventive health, I wanted every mother to breastfeed for as long as possible. However, the definition of “as long as possible” changed for me after my own experiences with lactation failure.

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