Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months: concerns over exclusive breastfeeding need to be understood so that they may be pre-empted and addressed effectively.(CLINICAL UPDATE) From: Community Practitioner | Date: May 1, 2008| Author: Deshpande, Wendy | COPYRIGHT 2008 Ten Alps Publishing. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

In 2003, the Department of Health issued the recommendation that: 'Breastmilk is the best form of nutrition for infants. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months (26 weeks) of an infant's life, as it provides all the nutrients a baby needs.'

Yet in the UK Infant feeding survey 2005 (1) (published in May 2007), only 1% of mothers were found to have exclusively breastfed for six months. However, there was a marked trend toward the later introduction ...