Health professionals
Health professionals have an important role in promoting, supporting and protecting breastfeeding. In this section of the site you can access professional factsheets, policy and up-to-date breastfeeding research.
A vast scientific literature demonstrates the substantial health, social and economic importance of breastfeeding, including lower infant and young child morbidity and mortality from diarrhoea and other infectious diseases. Increasingly this research is demonstrating a dose response relationship strongly indicating that health and nutritional advantages can be maximised by:
- Exclusively breastfeeding in the first six months
- Continuing breastfeeding into the second year and beyond
This recommendation has now been adopted as best practice by the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the Health Service Executive (HSE), the Department of Health and Children and virtually all public health policies worldwide.
