Ending the Big Letdown: Policy Gaps, Commercial Influences & Racial Disparities in Breastfeeding. Where do we go from here?

Breastfeeding outcomes do not occur in a vacuum, they are influenced by social, cultural, and economic forces at play. This talk examines the role of science and scientific protocols, medicine, commercial interests, feminist ideals, and other “actors,” in shaping infant feeding decision-making and what can be done to level the playing field. Seals Allers also pushes for more structural support for breastfeeding mothers, improved communication and messaging from the lactation community, and offers ideas for a new blueprint for transforming breastfeeding into the social norm.