For example, in some areas in China, it is believed that infants should not be breastfed for some time after birth [9]. A recent survey reported that the first feed of more than 60% babies was infant formula [10]. About 70% of infants were first breastfed 24 h after birth [10, 11].
Many mothers neither exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of the baby's life nor continue breastfeeding for the recommended two years or more, and instead replace breast milk with commercial breastmilk substitutes or other milks. In China the exclusive breastfeeding rate has fallen to 28 per cent nationally.
Croatia has the highest rate of breastfeeding in the entire world. More than 98 percent of all babies are breastfed starting at birth. Some of the other countries that also have very high rates of breastfeeding include Rwanda, Chile, and Burundi. All of these countries have breastfeeding rates greater than 80 percent.
The mean duration of “any breastfeeding” was 10 months (9 to 11 months in the majority of cities), an increase compared with the previous review in which the mean of “any breastfeeding” duration was 8 months (7 to 9 months in the majority of cities).
Most mothers in Brazil, China, Germany, Hungary, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States feel six to 12 months is ideal. On the other hand, French mothers favored a shorter period of three to six months, while Turkish mothers felt it better to carry on for 12 to 24 months.
LONDON — Only 1 in 200 women in the U.K., or 0.5 percent, breastfeed their children until they are 1 year old — the lowest rate in the world.
Differences came in the actual duration of breastfeeding: Over half of women born and educated in Mexico breastfed for at least 6 months, compared with 38% of women born in Mexico and educated in the U.S. and just 23% of women who were born and educated in the U.S.
For example, in some areas in China, it is believed that infants should not be breastfed for some time after birth [9]. A recent survey reported that the first feed of more than 60% babies was infant formula [10]. About 70% of infants were first breastfed 24 h after birth [10, 11].
"[After] roughly about three or four months once the child's been born only about 30 per cent of the patients would usually be exclusively breastfeeding their kids. "And that rate drops even further to roughly about 10 to 15 per cent after about six months.
Most parents of newborn babies have heard that 'breast is best'. But although 96% of children are breastfed soon after birth, only 15% of mums are still breastfeeding exclusively 5 months later.
According to the most recent National Nutrition and Health Survey, only 28.8% of children under six months of age are exclusively breastfed in Mexico. On the other hand, at least seven out of 10 have consumed formula or a breast milk substitute.
How many American women breastfeed their babies? Three out of four mothers (75%) in the U.S. start out breastfeeding, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2010 Breastfeeding Report Card. At the end of six months, breastfeeding rates fall to 43%, and only 13% of babies are exclusively breastfed.
However, within low-and-middle-income countries, wealth disparities affect how long a mother will continue to breastfeed her child, the data show. Babies from the poorest families have rates for breastfeeding at 2 years that are 1.5 times higher than those from the richest families.
"In many cultures, childcare is not down to one mother, but a whole village. Public breastfeeding is a taboo in Japan, and women have to hide in the bathroom to feed their baby. This is how nursing is viewed in our society."
The World Health Organisation advocates all babies under six months old drink solely breast milk, but in mainland China only 29 per cent of that group are breastfed, according to a study by the China Development Research Foundation, news site Thepaper.cn reported.
It is acceptable for women to breastfeed their babies in public places such as shopping centers, workplaces, restaurants and on public transportations.
In Japan, 90% of moms breastfeed until their child is 2 years old. However, according to a UNICEF survey of countries (including less developed nations) on average moms stop breastfeeding when their child is 4.2 years old.
Overwhelming majority of Canadian women start breastfeeding soon after giving birth, and more than half stop within six months.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF recommend that all children, in both developed and undeveloped countries, be breastfed a minimum of two years, or beyond, and acknowledge that the average age of weaning worldwide is about four years old.
Men drinking their partners' breast milk is not uncommon in some areas of Uganda, and in parts of Tanzania and Kenya.
Public breastfeeding is a taboo in Japan, and women have to hide in the bathroom to feed their baby. This is how nursing is viewed in our society.”
So, except for a few circumstances when it might pose a health concern, it's OK to breastfeed your partner. Learn more about adult breastfeeding, how the practice affects breast milk supply, how to start lactation if you're not already breastfeeding, and when adult breastfeeding may not be safe.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), exclusive breastfeeding (children only receiving breast milk and no other food or drink) should last until the infant is 6 months old and partial breastfeeding should continue up to 2 years of age.
A child would usually be weaned when the mother became pregnant with her next child. On average this was 3 years but it was not uncommon to have children as old as five years still being breastfed(2).