[Promoting breastfeeding].

Abstract

The World Health Organization considers maternal breast feeding to be the ideal manner to feed a newborn child, as well as being a unique biological and emotional base, and recommends breast feeding to be the exclusive feeding method until the age of six months. After a period of massive abandonment caused by multiple socio-cultural causes beginning about a half century ago, breast feeding is now starting to make a slow recuperation. In Spain, there is an initial predisposition to breast feed of about 80%. However, in spite of the initiatives carried out by organizations and professional groups, the admission of mother and child into a hospital has a negative effect on breast feeding. Therefore, the authors have designed an program to use in a health education course to promote breast feeding while under hospital care.