Salk Institute Jul 30 2025 Of the 3.6 million babies born in the United States each year, around 80 percent begin breastfeeding in their first month of life. Breastfeeding has known benefits for both mother and child, reducing maternal risk of breast and ovarian cancers, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure, while simultaneously supporting the baby's nutrition and immune system. But because pregnancy and lactation have been historically understudied, we still don't understand the science