Hospital Support for Breastfeeding

Hospitals play a vital role in supporting moms to breastfeed, and that support has improved. The percentage of US hospitals using a majority of the Ten Steps to Successful BreastfeedingExternal, the global standard for hospital care to support breastfeeding, increased from about 29 percent in 2007 to almost 54 percent in 2013, a nearly two-fold increase in six years. Improved hospital care could increase rates of breastfeeding nationwide and contribute to healthier children.

Of the nearly 4 million babies born each year in the US, 14% are born in Baby-FriendlyExternal hospitals. This number has nearly tripled in recent years but remains low. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) was established by the World Health Organization and UNICEF and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding are at the core of the BFHI.

To improve their support for breastfeeding, hospitals can:

• Use the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and work towards achieving the Baby-Friendly designation.
• Use CDC’s Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) survey customized reports to improve maternity care practices that support breastfeeding.
• Work with doctors, nurses, lactation care providers, and organizations to create networks that provide clinic-based, at-home, or community breastfeeding support for mothers.

Breastfed babies have reduced risks of ear, respiratory, stomach, and intestinal infections; asthma, obesity, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Mothers who breastfeed are less likely to get breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Breastfeeding also saves money. More than $2 billion in yearly medical costs for children could be saved if breastfeeding recommendations were met.

80% of babies born in the US start out breastfeeding.

6 in 10 breastfeeding mothers stop breastfeeding earlier than they intend.

14% of US babies are born in hospitals designated Baby-Friendly.

More hospitals are using a majority of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.

6 de cada 10 madres que amamantan a sus bebés lo dejan de hacer antes de lo que planeaban.

14% de los bebés en los EE. UU. Nacen en hospitals designados como “Amigo del niño”.

Más hospitales están usando la mayoría de los “Diez Pasos hacia una Feliz Lactancia Natural”.

Mother holding her toddler

Mother holding her infant

Doctor talking to her patient

Mother holding her newborn