(Apr. 20, 2009) Once thought of as an oddity, or as an throwback to a less sophisticated time, the breastfeeding mother can now feel more comfortable with what is a growing acceptance of a healthy, normal practice.

Breastfeeding is becoming more and more accepted.

The 11 public hospitals in New York City have required a “baby friendly” policy for the last two years that includes promoting breastfeeding and limiting infant formula marketing when babies are born, according to Empowher.com, a popular women’s health blog. The policy includes initiating breastfeeding in the first hour of the infant’s life, and allowing the mother and child to be in the same room. All of the hospitals must promote breastfeeding, and must follow the 10 steps outlined by UNICEF and the World Health Organization as part of an initiative started 10 years ago called the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, the blog says.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has promoted breastfeeding for years, and now has a breastfeeding residency curriculum.

Breastfeeding has long been taught by La Leche League, and the Couple to Couple League (CCL) has promoted breastfeeding as a holistic approach to mothering that boasts of many benefits. CCL classes encourage women to breastfeed because of the many advantages for baby, mother, family and even society. The group discusses the impact of breastfeeding on the return of fertility after childbirth.

CCL offers a supplemental Postpartum Class to help breastfeeding mothers understand the return to fertility. The class is free and is open to any current CCL member.  Breastfeeding mothers learn to recognize the hormonal changes in the transition from pregnancy back to normal fertility cycles; how various types of baby feeding affect the return of fertility; the benefits of breastfeeding; how to apply NFP during the postpartum time; and how to make informed decisions regarding responsible parenthood and future pregnancies.

The Sympto-Thermal Method of NFP can be learned at 15 locations in the Chicagoland area. For class locations, click here.