| Sumario: | Stress takes a physiological toll on our bodies, leading to increased rates of disease. For some, this damage begins even before birth when a fetus is inundated and forced to respond to the mother's stress hormones, leading to negative birth outcomes and a lifetime of subsequent health issues. The act of breastfeeding provides skin-to-skin contact and greater mother-infant attachment while the bounteous properties of breast milk provide the infant with nourishment and protection, mitigating the negative effects of stress. However, populations most susceptible to stress and disease are the same populations with the lowest breastfeeding rates. Social and economic barriers to breastfeeding perpetuate health disparities among the most vulnerable in our society.
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