Breastfeeding in Italy: the role of obstetrician-gynecologists

We report the exceptional case of an intrauterine fetal death Data for 2013 from the italian national institute of statistics (istat) show that the percentage of breastfeeding mothers in italy is increasing, however these percentages are still far from the standard recommended by the world health organization (who). Not breastfeeding is rarely recognized as a possible effect of the medicalization of birth but rather is perceived as a mother’s choice, even though, according to a survey done by the italian national institute of health in 2002, over 95% of women in italy said they wanted to breastfeed. The authors evaluate the role of the obstetrician-gynecologist who, together with the other health professionals involved in pregnancy and childbirth, all of whom have been trained and respect the mother-baby dyad, can help promote breastfeeding in a significant way.