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Exclusive breast-feeding for at least the first 6 months is superior to other methods of infant nutrition. The WHO and the CDC have developed guidelines (shown in the Table) for hospitals to support mothers in initiating and continuing breast-feeding.
To evaluate the efficacy of these guidelines, researchers surveyed 1573 mothers (52% age 25–34; 12% non-Latina black; 21% Latina) within 13 months of delivering live singleton infants in hospitals. The survey included questions about prepartum intention to breast-feed, breast-feeding status at 1 week postpartum, and experience with hospital staff concerning breast-feeding practices.
Overall, 61% of participants had intended to breast-feed exclusively, and 51% were doing so at 1 week postpartum. …
