Encouraging mothers to breastfeed

Guests: Esther Chung, Deborah Sandrock and Kimberly Seals Allers

Hospitals in Philadelphia are no longer giving new mothers free formula when they leave the hospital. It’s part of a push to encourage more moms to breastfeed their newborns. While nationwide rates of breastfeeding have increased, in Philadelphia they still remain far below the average at just 62% compared to the national rate of 77%. And by six months, only 28% of Philadelphia’s moms are still breastfeeding. So what are the best ways to encourage women to breastfeed their babies? What are the barriers that stop women from nursing and what kind of supports do they need to continue? This hour Marty talks with ESTHER CHUNG, Professor of Pediatrics at Jefferson Medical College and Nemours, DEBORAH SANDROCK, Attending physician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and is a board certified lactation consultant, and KIMBERLY SEALS ALLERS, a journalist and breastfeeding advocate who is working on an initiative in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood of Philadelphia.