August 3rd, 2011

The Hill reports:

Fewer than 4 percent of U.S. hospitals provide the full range of support mothers need to be able to breastfeed, according to a new government report that calls the shortcomings a missed chance to combat childhood obesity.

“Hospitals play a vital role in supporting a mother to be able to breastfeed,” Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement accompanying the report. “Those first few hours and days that a mom and her baby spend learning to breastfeed are critical. Hospitals need to better support breastfeeding, as this is one of the most important things a mother can do for her newborn. Breastfeeding helps babies grow up healthy and reduces health care costs.”

The CDC report is based on data from the national survey of “Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care.” The survey measures the percent of U.S. hospitals with practices that are in line with the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” developed by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

For the rest of the report, read The Hill