CDC study shows moms stop breastfeeding earlier than expected

The benefits of breastmilk are well documented, but a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found most moms stop breastfeeding earlier than they expected. Although there has been an increase in breastfeeding, fewer than half of the women in the survey were still breastfeeding their babies at six months.

“The one that shocks me is the fact that 42 percent stopped in the first month,” says Cria Perrine, an epidemiologist in the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity for the CDC.

About a third of the respondents had abandoned plans to exclusively breastfeed by the time they left the hospital. The study also found six hospital practices helped predict whether a new mom would exclusively breastfeed as long as they planned:

“The most significant predictor was whether the hospital had supplemented breastfeeding with formula, which was reported by four out of 10 women in the study,” says Rita Ruben.

• Breastfeeding within the first hour of birth;
• No supplemental feedings with formula;
• No pacifiers;
• Rooming in;
• Breastfeeding on demand; and
• Information about breastfeeding support.

Has the medical community failed breastfeeding moms?

“Because the complexities of lactation are so little studied and so often misunderstood, women can often feel they are at fault, rather feeling like they are suffering from a medical issue for which they need and deserve professional help,” said a recent article on Time.com.

Dr. Amy Evans, a pediatrician and medical director of the Center for Breastfeeding Medicine in Fresno, Calif., said as many as five percent of all women have underlying medical conditions that prevent or hinder lactation including: Hypoplasia, thyroid problems, hormonal imbalances, insufficient glandular tissue, among others.

With organizations such as the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM), it seems the medical community has started to take on breastfeeding. ABM has developed 25 protocols to guide physicians when they treat breastfeeding problems and they have also lobbied to include these issues on exams for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Women stop breastfeeding for many reasons and some even have physical ones. The bottom line is, as a society, we need to support mothers who breastfeed.