BREAKING NEWS 2 teens identified in Franklin Lock Park drowning

Report: More US hospitals are encouraging breast-feeding

Author: the associated press
Published: Updated:
MGN

NEW YORK (AP) – Health officials say more hospitals are encouraging new mothers to breast-feed.

A new report found more than two-thirds of hospitals in 2013 helped women start breast-feeding within an hour after birth. That’s up from 44 percent six years earlier.

Roughly 90 percent of hospitals teach moms breast-feeding techniques and how to recognize and respond to infant feeding cues.

But only about a quarter refrain from giving infants breast milk alternatives – like formula or water – unless medically necessary.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed about 2,700 hospitals for the report released Tuesday.

Overall, about 80 percent of U.S. babies breast-feed, at least briefly.

___

Online:

CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.