For a working mom who wants to breastfeed, it can be challenging to find the time and space to pump.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—The benefits of breastfeeding are monumental, for both mother and child. The World Health Organization, which last week commemorated World Breastfeeding Week, estimates that making breastfeeding more common could save 1.3 millions children’s lives worldwide. Breastfed children enjoy the long-lasting protection of a boosted immune system, and a reduced risk of ear and respiratory infections, GI disorders, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, allergies, asthma, leukemia, and even SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). And a large study just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine adds to research proving that breastfeeding boosts mothers’ health, too. The new study suggest breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer for mothers with a family history of the disease by 25 percent. A huge meta-analysis performed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 2007 investigated more than 400 studies and found breastfeeding is associated not only with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, but also breast and ovarian cancer.

THE DETAILS: For significant health benefits, the American Academy of Pediatrics urges mothers to breastfeed exclusively for at least the first six months of a baby’s life, and recommends continuing breastfeeding until the baby is a year old. American women tend to stop breastfeeding earlier than the worldwide average weaning year of age 2, says Cathy Carothers, president-elect of the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) and codirector of Every Mother. About 75 percent of women here start breastfeeding when their child is born, but the number drops sharply shortly after. There are different explanations for this, including women—especially first-time moms—being embarrased to feed in public. “Breasts have been used to sell beer and cars,” says Carothers. “When you think about how we have idealized breasts in that way in our culture, it’s easy to see why women sometimes feel timid.” Lack of instruction and ongoing advice also play a role. But perhaps the biggest reason women pull the plug on breastfeeding early is because they need to get back to work in places that don’t promote a breastfeeding-friendly environment.

WHAT IT MEANS: Since the advent of infant formula in the mid 20th century, hundreds of studies have shown breastfeeding is better. While it may be challenging for a working mother to keep up with it, thousands of women do. Here’s how you can feel more confident about breastfeeding at home, work, and in public, and how to help bring a breastfeeding-friendly environment to your workplace: