Skip to main content

2009 Breastfeeding Rates - How Does Your State Compare?

Have you ever wondered how many mothers in your area are breastfeeding? The CDC now has a state-by-state report that shows percentages of mothers breastfeeding at birth, three months, six months, and a year. Oregon, where I live, is in the top ten for every stage, according to my preliminary reading of the report. Only one state, Vermont, has more mothers breastfeeding at one year (38.4%), than Oregon (37%). Of course, breastfeeding is not the only way, or even necessarily the most important, to promote the health of babies, and there are people who have real issues preventing them from successfully breastfeeding, even if they want to. However, we do know that breastfeeding is very healthy for moms and babies and that many people who want to breastfeed don't get adequate support or information to enable them to stick with it.

The CDC explains the purpose of the report:

"Throughout your community, everyone plays a role in fostering breastfeeding. When health care professionals, legislators, employers, business owners, and community and family members work together, their efforts can increase the number of women who are able to start breastfeeding and the length of time they continue to breastfeed.

The 2009 Breastfeeding Report Card shows how breastfeeding is being protected, promoted, and supported in each state* using five “outcome” and nine “process” indicators. This allows you to make comparisons across states and indicators and work to increase breastfeeding nationwide."

You can check out the report by downloading the .pdf file from:
http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/report_card.htm

How does your state compare? Were these number a surprise to you?
Labels:

Comments

  1. Heidi MaxwellApril 28, 2010 at 9:56 PM

    We rock out with our boobs out in MT. Great support and lots of mamas breast feeding. Over 80% at least give it a whirl!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Woollybottoms Giveaway

I am hosting my first giveaway! I have been wanting to do this for a while, and I'm so pleased to have it finally planned. The item I chose to give is a new pair of Woollybottoms - wool pants for babies. The retail value of these is $29.00. I have been really into the wool pants thing lately, as you may have noticed from my recent posts (about Nifty Knickers , and my baby blue longies ) so this seems like a good fit. Wool pants can be used as a cloth diaper cover, or just as snuggly warm pants for the winter or for bedtime. These ones are "footies" so they should keep your baby toasty! The pair I am giving to one lucky winner is light blue with fish fabric for the footie part. Maybe a little more boyish than girlie, but Stella would definitely wear these if we got to keep them. They are size medium, and have the following measurements: 8" waist (elastic) 9" rise 18" length Here they are: To enter, simply comment below and let me know why you wan...
47 comments
Read more

Summer 2020 - Life in a Pandemic

I'm in my final week of summer before work as a middle school teacher begins again. This time of year I'm always in a reflective mood.  I look back and feel so lucky to have had this time with my kids. We went camping, biking, boating, golfing, and hiking. We celebrated my sister's wedding, we did projects together, watched movies, and just hung out at home. It really was everything that summer is meant to be. There were many events and plans that we canceled due to Covid, but we did all the most important things. We missed friends, but I also reveled in the togetherness with my little family unit. Today, I spent time registering for fall childcare and activities. It's less than usual, but still I can see the pace of our lives picking up. As we move into a season of more busy-ness, more work, and likely more stress, this poem sums up the feelings I'm experiencing.... Vacation End by Leslie Pinckney Hill From the charm of radiant faces, From the days we took to dream...
1 comment
Read more

Review: Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! There's a Party in My City!

Attending a live show is always a treat. The Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! There's a Party in My City! show last Monday was no exception. We arrived only about ten minutes early, and it felt a little weird to walk into a venue where I normally attend serious plays and musical performances, full of children, toddlers, and babies, many in costume. I had been to see The Color Purple there two days before, and it was quite a different atmosphere! Unsure how Sweet Pea would react to the show before we went, I was a bit overwhelmed at first and so was she, but after the first few acts she settled in to enjoy it and danced along to the music at times. Overall, it was a fun experience for us all and a happy memory to look back on as our first live performance as a family. The show producers, or planners, or whatever they are, included a few extras for the audience that really added to the experience for the kids. There was confetti that shot out over the crowd, a huge balloon d...
Post a Comment
Read more