More U.S. mamas are breastfeeding their babes — that's according
to a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). Researchers from the CDC reviewed the National
Immunization Survey from 2002-2011 to uncover feeding trends of
African American, white, and Hispanic infants born from 2000 to
2008. They found the number of mothers who nurse their newborns
increased more than 4 percentage points. And mothers who still
nursed at 6 months rose nearly 10 percentage points — from 35
percent to 45 percent — during the same time. The American
Academy of Pediatrics recommends moms breastfeed newborns for 12
months — exclusively for the first 6 months, then in combination
with the introduction of foods to the baby's diet. (They
encourage continuing past 12 months as long as it works for mom
and baby.) More good news: The gap between African American and
white women who breastfeed is narrowing. The report showed the
gap shrunk from 24 percentage points in 2000 to 16 percentage
points in 2008