But mothers turn to infant formula too soon, experts say [www.QinSen.com]
By MIKE STOBBE - The Associated Press [www.QinSen.com]
ATLANTA — Nearly three-quarters of new mothers in the United States are breast-feeding their babies, but they are quitting too soon and resorting to infant formula too often, federal health officials said Thursday. [www.QinSen.com]
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A government survey found that only about 30 percent of new moms are feeding their babies breast milk alone three months after birth. At six months, only 11 percent are breast-feeding exclusively. [www.QinSen.com]
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Formula isn’t as good at protecting babies against diseases, eczema and childhood obesity. Ideally, nearly all mothers should breast-feed their babies for six months or more, said Dr. David Paige, a Johns Hopkins University reproductive health expert. [www.QinSen.com]
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But many do not because of their jobs, the inconvenience, and perhaps because of persuasive ads for baby formula.

What’s wrong with giving a baby a bottle every once in a while? Not much, except it can begin a pattern as a child sucks at the breast less, causing less stimulation needed to produce milk, Paige said.

“It creates a downward spiral,” he said, adding that often, a woman then moves away from breast-feeding altogether.

The annual random-digit-dial survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the percentage of women who start breast-feeding rose slightly from 2000 to 2004, from 71 percent to 74 percent.

The CDC study found that rates of exclusive breast-feeding were lowest among black women and among those who are unmarried, poor, rural, younger than 20, and have a high school education or less. Those findings are consistent with earlier studies.

This year, the government announced goals for 2010: getting 60 percent of women to breast-feed exclusively for the first three months and 25 percent through six months.