By Lisa Pecos
Thanks to widespread educational efforts, most modern mothers are very aware of the importance of breastfeeding their babies, and research indicates that we have come a long way in the past generation. However, according to the most recent CDC Breastfeeding Report Card, we still have room for improvement, especially among certain subgroups in the U.S. Because breastfeeding has huge benefits for young children, we need to continue working on this issue to bring the numbers higher.
Recommendations vs. reality
According to all the relevant organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization, new mothers should breastfeed exclusively for at least the first six months, which means no use of bottles or outside ingredients. Because mother’s milk is the best food for healthy infant growth, other foods, even cow’s milk, are not adequate substitutes.
The AAP also suggests that after the six months are over, mothers should continue to breastfeed in order to provide their babies with a nutrient-rich supplement to other foods. Unfortunately, the CDC study shows that only a small percentage of mothers actually do this.
More specifically, the 2009 CDC Breastfeeding Report Card found that, in spite of the improvements we have made in recent years, 26% of U.S. mothers still do not breastfeed their children at all. Meanwhile, only 33% of new mothers continue to exclusively breastfeed after three months, and only 14% exclusively breastfeed six months into the child’s life.
The exact rates of breastfeeding vary based on mothers’ economic class, ethnicity, age, and level of education. As of 2009, Hispanic and Asian women have the best rates in the U.S., with 52.4% and 45.1%, respectively, still breastfeeding 6 months after the child’s birth. African American respondents had the lowest scores, with only 54% of mothers breastfeeding at all, and only 26% still breastfeeding at six months.
The rates of breastfeeding are also low for women under 20 years old, women with only a high school diploma or less, and women on government food aid. There is also a strange geographical divide in the country with respect to breastfeeding, with more women following recommendations in the west than in the east. This could have to do with the fact that there are more Hispanic women in the west, but it may also have to do with broader cultural norms in the west versus the east.
The cost of not breastfeeding
A 2010 study published in the journal Pediatrics found that if 90% of U.S. mothers followed breastfeeding guidelines, the U.S. would save $13 billion per year and save nearly a thousand infant deaths. The monetary costs come from medical bills associated with poor infant health, while the fatalities result from condition-such as sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory infections, and necrotizing enterocolitis-which are more common in children who are not breastfed.
Meanwhile, there are many negative effects of not breastfeeding that are not touched upon in the Pediatrics study. Children who are not breastfeed in infancy may not show negative health effects in the short term, but in the long term they will have an increased risk of bone weakness, diabetes, infections, allergies, and obesity.
Although breastfeeding rates are not nearly as high as they could be, the trends are positive, and experts agree that there are things we can do to have a positive impact on the rates. On a person-to-person basis, it is important for mothers to talk openly about their breastfeeding habits in order to help encourage a pro-breastfeeding culture. On a broader level, hospitals and educational institutions can still do more to spread the word about the benefits of breastfeeding newborn children.