Support for Breastfeeding, CDC report

Breastfeeding is often arguably the best decision that a new mother can make for the long-term development of her child, but traditionally, hospitals wouldn't take a stand for or against the practice. However, a new study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that hospital support for breastfeeding is slowly but surely becoming the norm nationwide.

According to the CDC's recent Vital Signs monthly report, a majority of U.S. hospitals now use the "Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding," the global standard for hospital care to support the practice of breastfeeding. In 2007, 29 percent of U.S. hospitals embraced these guidelines, and this jumped significantly to 54 percent by 2013, a nearly two-fold increase in six years.

"Breastfeeding has immense health benefits for babies and their mothers," said CDC director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "More hospitals are better supporting new moms to breastfeed - every newborn should have the best possible start in life."

How your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) can help with breastfeeding and overall baby care:

New or expecting mothers can find everything they need to give their babies the best start in life by purchasing breastfeeding supplies from FSAstore.com! You can shop for various breastfeeding supplies and medical accessories to take care of your baby.

Check out Medela to shop and learn more about baby care with your FSA.

Understanding the benefits of breastfeeding

Physicians have long advocated for breastfeeding, but hospital support and the types of direction that new mothers receive in the hospital can be pivotal in them creating a treatment plan and sticking to it for the betterment of their child. The CDC report also revealed that 60 percent of new mothers cease breastfeeding before they'd like, so programs like the Ten Steps could be pivotal in giving mothers the knowledge necessary to breastfeed successfully.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that breastfeeding holds innumerable benefits for mother and child, including ease of digestion, ideal nutrition, protection against common colds/illnesses and even the prevention of specific disorders like obesity, diabetes, asthma, colitis and some cancers.