Dr. Miriam Labbok

The Carolina Breastfeeding Institute was founded on 1 January 2006. Thanks to a generous donor who chooses to remain anonymous, the Institute was launched with an endowed chair and resources to permit immediate action in support of research, service, and training in public health as well as the clinical skills that are necessary for increased support to enable every woman to choose and succeed in optimal infant feeding. 

The Institute is well placed at UNC, in the oldest state university in the United States, since the health of North Carolinians is our primary goal. We are also fortunate to be in the Maternal and Child Health Department under the leadership of Dr. Bert Peterson. The highly respected Department of Maternal and Child Health, with its state, national and global interests, serves as the perfect home for this new center of excellence, which supports the mother/child dyad as the focus for research, teaching and service.

We care about the future, and children are our future. And breastfeeding is a single intervention that results in improved neurological, physiological, and immunological development, reducing the risks of illness and mortality for every child.

Without breastfeeding, infants suffer an increased risk and severity of infectious diseases do to a slowing of the maturation of the immune system.  They also suffer from an increased risk of cancers, chronic gut disease, and cardiac risk factors, including obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. Mothers do better if they breastfeed, with timely maternal postpartum recovery and reduced risks of certain cancers, bone thinning, and diabetes.  Breastfeeding eliminates waste and excess carbon footprint by reducing the use of plastic and chemical products and fossil fuels. Skin-to-skin and access to the breast in the immediate postpartum minutes leads to ready initiation of breastfeeding and necessary temperature control for the infant. Continued exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months of life, and is considered the number one intervention to stop preventable child mortality. Later, continued breastfeeding with age appropriate, responsively fed complementary foods will also contribute to future health, growth, and development.

The mother's health and well-being are essential for breastfeeding success. Optimal infant feeding depends on her, and she depends on the active support of the father, her family and society.  Social, workplace, and healthcare support are all necessary, and the policies and programs needed to secure support in all these areas are the focus of our work.

On a personal note, I am sincerely grateful to have the opportunity to be the first Institute Professor and Director, and to be among such excellent colleagues.  I am especially grateful to our Dean Barbara Rimer, and to our Department Chair Bert Peterson for his vision for the MCH Department that includes this Center.
 
With best wishes for the future,