Researchers focused on food insecurity, or people having unreliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food. Overall, 17 per cent of the women reported food insecurity. Breastfeeding promotes health of babies and women, Tarasuk said, and the high rates of starting breastfeeding suggest women have got the message. Tarasuk said food insecurity compounds a stressful situation as a women struggles to afford to meet her basic needs and provide for a newborn. In outlining the limitations of the research, Birken and van den Heuvel called maternal employment an important factor contributing to both food insecurity and duration of breastfeeding.

Source: CBC News March 20, 2018 18:41 UTC