CDC: Breastfeeding hits 20-year high

I hear breastfeeding is good for the babies. In which case this is certainly good news for the health of the children so this article is worth a mention on this blog. The article is from USA Today and via again The State of...

The U.S. breast-feeding rate has hit its highest mark in at least 20 years with more than three-quarters of new moms nursing their infants, according to a government report released Wednesday.

About 77% of new mothers breast-feed, at least briefly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

"It looks like it is an all-time high" based on CDC surveys since the mid-1980s, said Jeff Lancashire, a CDC spokesman.

Experts attributed the rise to education campaigns that emphasize that breast milk is better than formula at protecting babies against disease and childhood obesity. A changing culture that accommodates nursing mothers may also be a factor.

The percentage of black infants who were ever breast-fed rose most dramatically, to 65%. Only 36% were ever breast-fed in 1993-1994, the new study found.

Definitely going under health care and food. Oh and if you're black I hope you read that last paragraph in that quote. Here's the significance...

Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher celebrated the report's findings, noting that black women have historically had lower breast-feeding rates.

"It was very impressive that when it comes to beginning to breast-feed, African-American women have had the greatest progress," said Satcher, who is now an administrator at Atlanta's Morehouse School of Medicine.

If you're about to have a child or planning on it I would say find some research on this subject and ask as many questions as you can and hopefully you will consider giving breastfeeding a try. I could direct this at black women exclusively but this is for all women who aspire to be mothers at some point.