Breastfeeding is progressing in France, even if the country remains behind its European neighbours

“In 2021, half of mothers who breastfed their child did so for 20 weeks, compared to 15 in 2012,” summarizes a study conducted by Public Health France.

French mothers tend to breastfeed their babies for longer and in greater numbers, according to a large study published Tuesday, July 23 by the French Public Health agency. “In 2021, half of mothers who breastfed their child did so for 20 weeks, compared to 15 in 2012,” summarizes this study, conducted from a survey of some 3,500 mothers.

“At 6 months, if less than a quarter of newborns were still breastfed in 2012, more than a third were in 2021”add the authors of this work. These figures include situations of mixed breastfeeding, that is to say where it is accompanied by taking artificial milk from a bottle. An increase is also notable from the period following birth. In maternity, 77% of women breastfed their child in 2021 compared to 74% ten years earlier.

France, however, remains one of the European countries where breastfeeding is least practiced, a situation regretted by the public health agency, which has long sought to promote this practice. This orientation is in line with positions taken by the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as major medical journals, such as Tea Lancet.

Breastfeeding does indeed have theoretical health benefits for babies, including immunity. The extent of these benefits is debated, however, particularly in developed countries, where infectious diseases are less of a risk and where running water, used to reconstitute formula, is safe.

Other benefits highlighted, such as a reduction in the risk of obesity and diabetes, are not necessarily the result of a cause-and-effect mechanism. The authors of the study by Santé publique France also highlight the difficulty of reconciling a job with breastfeeding.

“Half of the mothers who were still breastfeeding at 6 months gave their child at least six feeds a day, and were therefore in a situation that was difficult to reconcile with the peaceful return to work,” they write, citing the length of maternity leave as a lever for action.