When it comes to feeding their child, new parents need to follow research to make the best decisions for their family. Here are the three research findings that may change how you think about breastfeeding:

Breastfeeding aversion response (BAR) is a feeling of aversion that occurs during the entire duration that the child is latched (translation: mothers report that breastfeeding is exhausting or sickening or that they feel “touched out,” angry, anxious, violated, guilty, or disconnected). This feeling is different from the dysphoric milk ejection reflex (D-MER), which involves sudden, intense negative emotions during the milk letdown. For D-MER, negative feelings only occur during letdown, whereas breastfeeding aversion response occurs during the entire breastfeeding session.

A recent study reported the results of a survey of over 5,000 women in Australia and found that one in five women reported a breastfeeding aversion response. Most women (96 percent) who experienced breastfeeding aversion also reported challenges with breastfeeding. Yet, 82.5 percent of women who experience a breastfeeding aversion response indicated that their overall breastfeeding experience was positive (rating it as “good” or “very good”).

Women with higher education and income were less likely to experience breastfeeding aversion. Women who are breastfeeding for the first time, are tandem breastfeeding (translation: breastfeeding two children of........

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