California's hospitals aren't doing enough to encourage new mothers to exclusively breastfeed, even though it has been shown to help prevent childhood obesity, according to a report released today by the California WIC Association and the University of California, Davis.
The report drew on 2004 newborn screening data from the state Department of Health Services, in which hospital staff and new mothers were asked whether newborns received only breast milk, only formula, a mix of both or another food source. Hospitals with at least 20 infants of at least three ethnicities were ranked in the report.
Of California's lowest-ranking hospitals in the survey, most were in in Southern California, out of more than 400 hospitals total.
Exclusively breastfeeding an infant in its first 48 hours of life is recommended by most health professionals because it allows the mother to establish a supply of milk for her child, even if she later decided to switch to bottlefeeding.
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