More than 75% of New Moms Breastfeeding in US

Breastfeeding rates are at a 20-year high in the US. See CNN's article about it here.

The Centers for Disease Control released some interesting findings about Breastfeeding: More than 3/4ths of new mothers are now doing it, the highest rate in 20 years!

The decrease in breastfeeding rates in the 1980's and 1990's is probably due to more women being in the workforce, and the improvement in baby formulas. In addition, breastfeeding was not encouraged as much in the past as it is now.

A few statistics of note:

In 1993-1994, only 60% of mothers were breastfeeding.

African American mothers saw the greatest increase in breastfeeding rates: 65%, up from 36% in 1993-1994.

European American mothers increased breastfeeding rates from 62% to 79%

Mexican American mothers have always led the pack: From 67% in 1993-1994 to 80% in 2008.

The CDC also reported that mothers who were rural, poor, under 20, and unmarried had lower breastfeeding rates.

In addition to the fact that breastfeeding positively affects IQ, breastfeeding is also more encouraged, and more accepted. Nursing in public (In the US, anyway) is beginning to gain more acceptance, and with the help of nursing covers, more women are nursing more often.

As more awareness is raised about the benefits of breastfeeding, we're likely to see even more women breastfeeding their babies more often.