CDC: Breastfeeding Rates On The Rise In The US.
In its "Healthwatch" blog, The Hill (2/8, Viebeck) reports that "U.S. mothers are breastfeeding more and for longer periods of time, a trend federal officials called good for public health." According to the article, "the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported Thursday that the share of mothers who began breastfeeding rose more than four points between 2000 and 2008," and "the number still nursing after six months jumped nearly 10 points to 45 percent." The study appears in the latest edition of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 

        HealthDay (2/8, Preidt) says that the new report also found that "the number breast-fed at 12 months increased from 16 percent to about 23 percent" between 2000 and 2008. 

        CBS News (2/8, Castillo) reports on its website that the CDC said that "breast-feeding rates had increased across all race and ethnic groups." The article adds, "breast-feeding provides protections for newborns and infants, according to CDC. Not only is the milk easier to digest, it can provide valuable antibodies, cells and hormones to help protect a child from illness." 

        In its "Booster Shots" blog, the Los Angeles Times (2/8, Kaplan) reports that "in a policy statement published last year," the American Academy of Pediatrics, "credited breast milk with reducing the risk of serious colds, respiratory tract infections, pneumonia, ear infections, sudden infant death syndrome, type 1 diabetes, obesity, gastrointestinal tract infections and myriad other health problems." The article went on to note that "despite the many signs of progress, the CDC researchers still saw the glass as half empty." In the new study, the CDC researchers wrote, "Despite increases in the prevalence of breast-feeding, fewer than half of the infants in the survey were still breast-feeding at 6 months, indicating that women who choose to breast-feed their infants need support to continue breast-feeding.": 

        Similarly, CDC Director Tom Frieden was quoted in an article in CQ (2/8, Subscription Publication) as saying, "Despite these increases, many mothers who want to breast-feed are still not getting the support they need from hospitals, doctors or employers." He went on to urge, "We must redouble our efforts to support mothers who want to breast-feed." 

        The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (2/8, Johnson) "Pulse" blog also covers the story. 

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