Breastfeeding produces health benefits for both child and mother, including optimal nutrition for the infant,1 decreased risk of infant morbidity and death due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and decreased risk of maternal morbidity.2Nationally, breastfeeding rates have been rising, with 4 in 5 (81.1%) mothers who gave birth in 2013 initiating breastfeeding and more than half (51.8%) of mothers who gave birth in 2013 still breastfeeding at 6 months.3 Despite this progress, many states fall short of the Healthy People 2020 breastfeeding duration and exclusivity targets. These targets include increasing the proportion of infants who are ever breastfed to 81.9% and increasing the proportion of infants who are breastfed at 6 months to 60.6%.4 There are also inequitable disparities in breastfeeding rates, notably along racial5 and socioeconomic6 lines.
What to read next
Published by
Funded by
Copyright
- Copyright 2017 by ChangeLab Solutions. All rights reserved.