Sept. 13, 2010 -- Three out of four new mothers in the U.S. start out breastfeeding their newborns, but less than half are still breastfeeding by the time their babies are 6 months old. A new nationwide report from the CDC shows the percentage of new mothers who initiate breastfeeding at birth is rising steadily and varies widely from state to state: ranging from a high of 90% in Utah to a low of 52.5% in Mississippi. Although those breastfeeding initiation figures meet the nation's Healthy People 2010 goals, researchers found the number of babies who continue to be breastfed at 6 months and 12 months has remained below target levels for the third year in a row.

Breastfed Babies: The Numbers The CDC's 2010 Breastfeeding Report Card is based on survey data collected in 2007. It shows that only 43% of babies are still breastfeeding at six months and 22% continue to breastfeed at 12 months. “We need to direct even more effort toward making sure mothers have the support they need in hospitals, workplaces, and communities to continue breastfeeding beyond the first few days of life, so they can make it to those 6- and 12-month marks,” researcher William Dietz, MD, PhD, director of CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, says in a news release. The percentage of mothers who continued breastfeeding at six months ranged from a high of 62% in Oregon to a low of 20% in Louisiana. At 12 months of age, breastfeeding rates ranged from nearly 40% in Oregon and Vermont to 8% in Mississippi.