Resources

Emotional and physical trauma have a role in breastfeeding success. But even though a
mother may know that breastfeeding is best, past abuse, physical trauma, or psychological
impairment may affect a mother’s ability to initiate or continue breastfeeding. Since
more than 20-25% of women have been sexually abused, 25% have experienced intimate
partner violence, more than 50% of adolescent mothers have experienced childhood
sexual abuse, with an untold number of mothers and babies who have experienced birth
trauma, it is likely that all health providers who work with moms and babies have clients
that have experienced some form of abuse. In Emotional and Physical Trauma and Its
Impact on Breastfeeding Mothers, author Dianne Cassidy, IBCLC-RLC, ALC, describes the
different kinds of trauma and discusses ways to work with these moms…