Breastfeeding beyond 1 year in Ireland - a lens to overcoming contemporary challenges

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO, 2025)1 recommends that infants are breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life, continuing up to two years or beyond, in combination with safe complementary foods. Suboptimal breastfeeding practices contribute to increased morbidity and mortality among infants and children worldwide. Globally 820,000 children’s lives under the age of five years could be saved, if all children from 0-23 months were optimally breastfed (WHO 2025).

Breastfeeding in the first year of life is associated with a reduced risk of asthma, less overweight and obesity, and a reduced risk of hospitalisation for any infection. In addition, there is evidence of the impact of a longer duration of breastfeeding on maternal health outcomes, notably a reduction in the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.