Breastfeeding Rates and Factors Related to Cessation in a Military Population

Evidence continues to accumulate showing the benefits of breastfeeding to infants, mothers, and society as a whole. However, breastfeeding success rates nationwide have consistently fallen short of recommendations set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics. There are several potential barriers to successful breastfeeding, and many of these could be magnified in the demanding careers of military members and their families. We surveyed 254 women at a regional military medical facility, both active duty members and dependents of active duty members, regarding their ability to successfully breastfeed their infants. We found that American Academy of Pediatrics target goals in this population as a whole were indeed nearly met at this facility, but also found that active duty members and those who encountered military-related difficulty fell well short of these goals. These findings suggest potential barriers to breastfeeding success that warrant further study from the U.S. Department of Defense.