1. The Meaning of 'Breastfeeding' Is Changing and So Must Our Language About It
- Author
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Christine D. Garner, Kathleen M. Rasmussen, Sheela R. Geraghty, Julia P. Felice, and Elizabeth J O'Sullivan
- Subjects
Pediatrics ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Breastfeeding ,Mothers ,Breast milk ,Developmental psychology ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Terminology as Topic ,030225 pediatrics ,Lactation ,Maternity and Midwifery ,Humans ,Medicine ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Meaning (existential) ,Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ,Set (psychology) ,Infant feeding ,Milk, Human ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Breast Milk Expression ,Infant, Newborn ,Infant ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Nutrition Surveys ,Bottle Feeding ,Breast Feeding ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Perspective ,Female ,business ,Healthcare providers - Abstract
For millennia, the word “breastfeeding” has meant feeding an infant at his/her own mother's breast. With the recent introduction of high-efficiency breast pumps, other possibilities are now widely used, including feeding an infant his/her own mother's milk from a cup or bottle. This milk may be recently pumped or stored for a short or long time. Infants also may be fed another mother's milk. As a result, the use of the term “breastfeeding” to describe these different behaviors now inhibits clear communication among and between healthcare providers, researchers, mothers, and members of the lay public. We propose a comprehensive set of terms to describe these and related behaviors. Adoption and consistent use of these terms would facilitate communication among all interested parties on the topic of maternal lactation and infant feeding.
- Published
- 2017
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