by JANELLE WEINER
In the United States just 13.6% of infants are exclusively breastfed to six months, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s 2009 Breastfeeding Report Card. Rates are higher in many developing countries – 38% overall – but increased urbanization and Westernization is undoing what was once common and appropriate infant-feeding behaviors, says Labbok. Working Bangladeshi mothers, for example, rarely bring their infants to work with them and often introduce complementary foods as early as the second month. In Nigeria, where women once carried babies to market, increased urbanization has meant a shift to non-baby-friendly jobs. Even in countries with official maternity leave policies, working mothers in the informal sectors are denied the benefits of legislation.
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