Study: New moms not breastfeeding enough
Jun 5, 2012, 6:40 AM
As experts continue to stress the importance of breastfeeding, Center for Disease Control researchers said only one-third of new moms breastfed as much as they’d hoped.
Checking the plans of 1,500 pregnant women for breastfeeding and a follow-up interview, researchers determined that 85 percent of mothers planned to breastfeed exclusively for three months. However, just over 30 percent were able to do so for that amount of time.
“It’s a national challenge — it’s something we face all over the country,” said Christa Bridges-Jones with the Arizona Department of Health.
“As far as Arizona’s performance in that, we are somewhere in the middle.”
According to Arizona numbers, about 80 percent of women initiate breastfeeding at the hospital. By the time babies are about a year old, only 25 percent are receiving any breast milk.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the minimum weening age of 12 months old.
