Breastfeeding Report Card: Where Florida Ranks in State-By-State Comparison

Mothers in Florida are trying breastfeeding on average with the rest of the country, but more moms in the state are abandoning the effort too soon, according to a new study released this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Mothers stopping breastfeeding early is a national problem, due in part to a lack of support, according to the CDC's annual Breastfeeding Report Card.

Formula or other foods entering a child's diet too soon can impact growth and development, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Meanwhile, breastfeeding can prevent sickness and other health problems, like asthma, according to the U.S. Surgeon General's Office.

The CDC's annual survey of breastfeeding rates in each state is released in August because it is National Breastfeeding Month.

In Florida, 81.1 percent of mothers are breastfeeding at least once, matching that national average. The state is No. 29 in the U.S.

The survey shows progress across the country. But, at six months, nearly half of all mothers surveyed had stopped breastfeeding altogether. And only 22.3 percent were exclusively breastfeeding at six months, as recommended.

Of mothers surveyed in Florida:

• 81.1 percent are breastfeeding at least once
• 47.3 percent are breastfeeding at six months
• 18.4 percent are breastfeeding exclusively at six months
• 24.6 percent are breastfeeding at 12 months

The state has made progress compared to breastfeeding surveys in 2007. At that time, only 37.5 percent of Florida mothers were breastfeeding at six months. The number breastfeeding exclusively at six months has jumped from 9 percent to nearly 25 percent.

More: The Best and Worst States for Breastfeeding Moms

The CDC hopes the state-by-state Breastfeeding Report Card will encourage all involved in the child's first year to encourage mothers to breastfeed — including politicians. The report goes beyond breastfeeding rates and looked at barriers to continued nursing.

In some instances, it begins with a lack of information and support provided to the mothers and families at the hospital, according to the CDC. Other cases involve a lack of space, equipment or accommodations to properly breastfeed and pump breast milk once mom has returned home or is back at work.

“Mothers can better achieve their breastfeeding goals with active support from their families, friends, communities, clinicians, health care leaders, employers, and policymakers," said Dr. Ruth Petersen, director of the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity.

The CDC helps educate hospital staff through the "Best Fed Beginnings" program and has online resources to help individuals and entire industries support breastfeeding mothers. For its part, the U.S. Office on Women's Health offers employer solutions and "The Business Case for Breastfeeding."

Four female pilots with Frontier Airlines filed a lawsuit earlier this year. They claimed that, among other harmful policies, they weren't given accommodations for breastfeeding and pumping milk.

Public accommodations for breastfeeding often draw opinions and occasionally nasty comments from those people around nursing mothers.

Target supports breastfeeding in any area of the store, but a man lashed out at a nursing shopper in Torrington, Connecticut, in June. The mother recorded the man's rant and posted it on Facebook, noting that other shoppers and staff eventually intervened to protect her.

Several mothers staged a "nurse-in" at a Limerick, Pennsylvania, YMCA in May. The event was in solidarity with a mother who was told by staff to relocate while nursing her child, reportedly because she was making "men in the room uncomfortable."

More at Patch:

• Common Breastfeeding Problems

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