Barriers to breastfeeding prevent some women from initiating breastfeeding and lead to early cessation for others. Infants and mothers that do not breastfeed or provide breastmilk are at higher risk for poor health outcomes. Breastmilk provides antibodies and other anti-infective properties, so formula-fed infants do not a have as strong an immunity as those that are breastfed. Formula-fed infants are at an increased risk for ear and respiratory infections, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), asthma, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Breastfeeding is also important for maternal health and well-being. Mothers who do not breastfeed are at a higher risk for breast and ovarian cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Exclusively breastfeeding women reported lower rates of depression than mixedand formula-feeding mothers. If 90 percent of mothers who gave birth in Minnesota breastfed exclusively for the first six months and continued to breastfeed for at least one year, an estimated 7,680 ear infections, 35,973 gastrointestinal infections, and 38 percent of child deaths could have been prevented in 2016. Among mothers, 56 cases of breast cancer, 407 cases of hypertension, 141 cases of diabetes, and 31 deaths could have been prevented. This amounts to a lifetime cost savings of $208 million.