Why Should RDs Know About Breast-feeding Multiples?
Based on the aforementioned statistics alone, dietitians need to know about breast-feeding multiples. In addition, dietitians are in a unique position since they can encourage breast-feeding in many different settings as well as at the community level to coincide with the goals of the CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Dietetic Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the La Leche League International (LLLI), and others to increase breast-feeding initiation and continuance rates. In fact, Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office on Women’s Health issued the “HHS Blueprint for Action on Breastfeeding,” which encourages all health professionals to obtain lactation education and training.4 Dietitians are known for promoting health and wellness; therefore, it is the dietitian’s role to promote the first step to obesity prevention: breast-feeding.5 However, breast-feeding promotion is not easy since 57% of Americans disapprove of breast-feeding in public and