From a previous digest:

From:    Ann Twiggs
Subject: Ross Mothers' Survey

Hi.  My name is Ann Twiggs and this is the first time I have posted on
Lactnet although I have been a subscriber for many years.  I am the Ohio
WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator and Preseident of the Ohio Lactation
Consultant Association.  I am responding to Katherine Dettwyler's
comment on the Ross Mothers' Survey.  Actually, the 21.7% still
breastfeeding at 6 months refers to the universe of mothers giving birth
in 1996.

Kathy writing: the last Ross Labs report I have is for 1991, and the % still
breastfeeding at six months refers to the mothers who left the hospital bf.
Perhaps Ross has changed the way they present this material as the result of
complaints.


Ann writing previously: The 1997 report lists both the duration of those
initiating
breastfeeding and the 6 months breastfeeding rate of the universe of
mothers giving birth.  They did not report it that way previously.  The
1997 report does show the statistics both ways going back to 1971.  In
1996 36.7% of the 59.2% who initiated were still nursing at 6 months.  In
1997 41.7% of the 62.4% were still nursing at 6 months.  However, only
26% of the universe of mothers who gave birth in 1997 breastfed at 6
months.   I am glad to have both statistics now.

Ann, I do not find these statistics believable.  That of the mothers who
left the hospital breastfeeding in 1997, 62.4% were still nursing at 6
months.  Who are they kidding??  So many women give up in the first few
weeks, or nurse for only 6 weeks and wean when they go back to work.  I
simply cannot believe that well more than half of the moms who left the
hospital breastfeeding are still doing so at 6 months.  Does this sound
"off" to anyone else out there?  Has there been a quiet revolution that none
of the researchers are aware of?
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Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.                         email: [log in to unmask]
Anthropology Department                               phone: (409) 845-5256
Texas A&M University                                    fax: (409) 845-4070
College Station, TX  77843-4352
http://www.prairienet.org/laleche/dettwyler.html