I didn't find anything terribly surprising in these figures. Just over 70% of mothers initiate breastfeeding in the hospital, and then the rates plummet. 30% of babies born in 2004 were still breastfeeding exclusively at 3 months, and at six months only 11% were still exclusively breastfeeding. White infants are more likely to be exclusively breastfed than their black peers, and babies born to unmarried mothers were less likely to be exclusively breastfed.
What I did find interesting was the way this was reported in the media. Here's a sampling of the headlines:
Breastfeeding Statistics Up, says CDC, (WebMD)
Breastfeeding at a high, but tapers fast (Los Angeles Times)
New Mothers Stop Breastfeeding Too Soon, CDC finds (Kansas City Star)
Study: Babies Off Breast Too Early (Boston Globe)
U.S. Breastfeeding Rates Rise to Record High (Scientific American)
Most of these papers are working off the same AP or Reuters story - the difference is in how the editors have chosen to spin it. Kind of fascinating when you think about it.
Here's the bads news... the CDC is tracking the breastfeeding rates as part of the Healthy People 2010 project. One of the goals of HP2010 is to increase breastfeeding rates, because the CDC recognizes that
"Breastfeeding is associated with decreased risk for many early-life diseases and conditions, including otitis media, respiratory tract infections, atopic dermatitis, gastroenteritis, type 2 diabetes, sudden infant death syndrome, and obesity. Breastfeeding also is associated with health benefits to women, including decreased risk for type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer."
What are the Healthy People 2010 goals?
* 75% of mothers breastfeeding in the early post-partum period
* 50% of mothers breastfeeding at six months
* 25% of mothers breastfeeding at one year
We have a long way to go. It's not enough to get breastfeeding started right after birth - we need to provide support and encouragement well beyond that initial postpartum period.
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