The percentage of U.S. hospitals using a majority of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, the global standard for hospital care to support breastfeeding, increased from approximately 29 percent in 2007 to 54 percent in 2013, a nearly two-fold increase over six years. Improved hospital care could increase rates of breastfeeding nationwide and contribute to healthier children.
"Breastfeeding has immense health benefits for babies and their mothers," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "More hospitals are better supporting new moms to breastfeed - every newborn should have the best possible start in life."
Of the nearly four million babies born each year in the U.S., 14 percent are born in Baby-Friendly hospitals, a number that has nearly tripled in recent years, but remains low. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) was established by the World Health Organization and UNICEF and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The core of the BFHI is the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.
"What happens in the hospital can determine whether a mom starts and continues to breastfeed, and we know that many moms - 60 percent - stop breastfeeding earlier than they'd like," said Cria Perrine, PhD, epidemiologist in CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. "These improvements in hospital support for breastfeeding are promising, but we also want to see more hospitals fully supporting mothers who want to breastfeed. The Ten Steps help ensure that mothers get the best start with breastfeeding."
Findings from CDC's Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care Survey. This Vital Signs report examined data from CDC's national survey, Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC), which measures the percentage of U.S. hospitals with practices that are consistent with the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.
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