The Infinite Cat Project - Slide #1266: Beauty - Added 6-22-06

Breastfeeding is the process of a woman feeding an infant or young child with milk from her breasts, usually directly from the nipples. Babies have a sucking urge that enables them to take in the milk, provided there is a good 'latch' (ie correct orientation between the woman and the baby), a normal frenulum, and a milk supply.
Breast milk has been shown to be best for feeding a child (assuming the mother does not have any serious transmissible infections.) Some mothers do not breastfeed their children, either for personal or medical reasons. Some diseases, such as HIV and HTLV-1, may be passed through the breast milk, and may therefore preclude breastfeeding in some cases. Some medicines may also transfer through breast milk. However, most medicines are transferred in very small amounts and are considered safe to take during breastfeeding. Therefore most women are not precluded from breastfeeding, and most doctors and governments promote the practice. Still, many medications are labelled as unsafe for use while breastfeeding, and the breastfeeding mother and her physician must carefully weigh the risks and benefits.
Many governmental strategies and international initiatives have promoted breastfeeding as the best method of feeding a child in his or her first year and beyond. So do the World Health Organization (WHO),[1] the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP),[2] and many others.