The not-so-good news on breastfeeding
More women than ever are breastfeeding, according to a report released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey of mothers and infants taken in 2005 and 2006 showed that 77% of all infants were breastfed at least once.
However, breastfeeding advocates say the real picture isn't so positive. They say that breastfeeding rates are lower in racial and ethnic groups, compared to whites, and lag among lower-income women, younger women and those who work.
The Numbers Guy, writing for the Wall Street Journal blog, notes that the CDC's statistics on women who breastfeed for a substantial length of time, such as six months, are also unimpressive.
"...looked at another way, the CDC numbers show that breastfeeding is flat - and the rate of long-term acceptance of the practice is declining among those who try it. The latest available rate of breastfeeding for six-month-old infants barely cleared 30%, well short of a federal-government goal of 50% by 2010, and barely budged from a decade earlier."
These numbers suggest that women know breastfeeding is best for their babies and would like to nurse but can't manage the task long-term. Health experts say that although breastfeeding for even a short time is good, the most potent health benefits come from nursing six months or more. That evidence continues to pile up. But until the U.S. workplace is more accommodating to new mothers, the six-month rates are unlikely to improve.
- Shari Roan
Photo: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times
