10/19/2026
We just got back from the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine meeting in Canada, and one thing is hard to ignore:
Canada is doing better than the U.S. on breastfeeding outcomes.
That’s not because Canadian mothers are more capable.
And it’s not because Canadian babies are somehow easier to feed.
It’s because breastfeeding outcomes are shaped by systems of support.
Canada has meaningful differences in how families are supported, and it shows in the data:
- about 91% of babies in Canada start out receiving breast milk, compared with about 86% in the U.S.
- at 6 months, about 68.5% of Canadian babies are still receiving breast milk, compared with 62.8% in the U.S.
- and for exclusive breastfeeding through 6 months, Canada reaches about 38.2%, compared with 29.8% in the U.S.
Those differences matter.
Because breastfeeding success is not just about whether a mother wants it badly enough.
It is about whether she has the time, care, education, accommodations, and ongoing support to sustain it.
And that is exactly why this work matters.
We need stronger lactation infrastructure.
We need better support between visits.
We need more visibility around donor milk pathways.
And we need systems that make breastfeeding more achievable — not more isolating.
The statistics don’t just tell us how mothers are doing.
They tell us how well our systems are supporting them. 🩵🇨🇦🇺🇸
AcademyOfBreastfeedingMedicine Canada UnitedStates TheHumanMilkyWay