There's a month -- this month, in fact -- dedicated to raising awareness about breast-feeding. Doctors, lactation consultants and other experts have talked themselves hoarse over the years about the benefits breast milk holds for most babies. And yet, there's still a stigma around this practice that many regard as the gold standard for feeding infants.

"You see it in the news all the time," said Liz Seaman, lactation consultant and patient educator at Bridgeport Hospital. "Women get called out for breast-feeding in public, when they're just trying to feed their children."

Though Connecticut has a law allowing mothers to breast-feed in public, Seaman and other medical professionals said they still hear tales of women asked to cover up when feeding their babies. This might be because some incorrectly regard breast-feeding as provocative, said Kathleen Moonan, lactation coordinator at Danbury Hospital. "This is not a sexual image related to the breast," she said. "It's just that mom's way of feeding her baby. It's very hard to educate the public on why a mom is breast-feeding (in public)."

The stigma surrounding public breast-feeding is one of several obstacles that women continue to face when it comes to breast-feeding. Throughout the region, lactation consultants and other advocates still work to empower new moms to breast-feed, which includes educating them on breast-feeding basics early in their pregnancies.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that moms breast-feed exclusively for the first 6 months of their babies' lives. After that, the academy recommends mixing breast-feeding and the gradual introduction of solid food for the rest of the first year of life.

Breast milk is touted as having a variety of benefits for both mothers and babies. Among other things, breast-feeding is supposed to boost babies' immune systems and could reduce their risk of developing allergies or such diseases as childhood acute leukemia. In mothers, breast-feeding is touted as possibly reducing the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and a variety of other conditions.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2011 (the most recent year for which statistic were available) about 79 percent of newborn infants began breast-feeding, but only 49 percent were still breast-feeding at 6 months. There are legitimate reasons why a mother shouldn't or can't breast-feed -- for instance, if she has a drug dependency or is undergoing chemotherapy or radiation. But most mothers are able to breast-feed -- experts said it's often just a matter of getting them to do so.

Moonan said, fortunately, most of the moms she works with are committed to breast-feeding their children. "There's so much in the literature about the benefits that 88 to 100 percent of the moms who walk through our doors know that they want to breast-feed," she said.

Danbury offers breast-feeding classes and the hospital's center for breast-feeding has an information line, 203-739-7777, that families can call for help after they leave the hospital. Many other hospitals in the region also offer classes, support groups and education programs centered on breast-feeding. Though moms are often enthusiastic about the process, they don't always know the basics, such as when to start breast-feeding (as soon as possible) or what to do if a baby doesn't latch on right away. "The mother often has the expectation that all will go as expected," said Michele Romano, lactation consultant at Greenwich Hospital and coordinator of the hospital's Tender Beginnings parenting program. "But mothers do experience challenges."

"Breast-feeding can be a bit of a head game," Moonan echoed. "For instance, how do you know the baby's getting enough?"

With enough support and education, most moms can overcome these challenges. One mom who did just that is Misty Ginicola, 37, of West Haven. A mother of two boys, Ginicola had to pump exclusively for her older son, who wouldn't latch onto her. Furthering her challenges was that she didn't know anyone in her family who had breast-fed, so she didn't have a frame of reference. "I had no help," Ginicola said.

Gradually, she learned what to do to make sure her son received breast milk (albeit in a bottle). It was easier with her second son, who did latch on. But Ginicola said breast-feeding can be an uphill battle sometimes. "It takes work," she said. "It takes practice."

Even when a mom finds her breast-feeding groove, there's still the pressure of the outside world to contend with, and many health experts hope fervently that the stigma around the practice eventually evaporates. "Too often, women get forced into the bathroom, and that's an uncomfortable situation," said Eva Bourke, registered nurse and lactation consultant at Stamford Hospital. "Society has to look at breast-feeding as a more natural thing for women."