I have studied those CDC statistics (I love studying all kinds of statistics) and you will find a lot of regional and demographic differences. Breastfeeding rates are highest in the Western states (Mountain & Pacific) and lowest in the Deep South and Kentucky and West Viriginia. According to the latest statistics, Alaska had the highest initiation rate at 88%, while Mississippi had the lowest at 50%. Urban/suburban areas tend to have higher rates than rural areas. A lot of this is tied to education and income. Women who are college-educated and from higher-income families are more likely to breastfeed and these women are more likely to be in urban/suburban areas than rural areas. The only real exception to the income/education rule is poor, recent-immigrant Hispanic women. They tend to have pretty high breastfeeding rates. Hispanics, overall, had an 80% initiation rate, second only to Asians/Native Hawaiians. Plus, hospitals in urban/suburban areas tend to have more breastfeeding support staff. Having traveled a lot, I think the reason why the West has higher rates has a lot to with the outdoorsy, nature-loving, self-reliant spirit of the people out there. The Deep South and Appalachia are generally poor and the use of WIC (which gives away free formula) is quite high in those areas. A number of WIC offices have tried to become more supportive of breastfeeding but still push formula quite a bit. Good support and education are the biggest keys to breastfeeding success. I will be a big supporter for my future wife and children.
I agree about WIC. When we had our first child we qualified for WIC, but we didn’t partake. They really pushed the formula (I breast fed for 6 months). I had a friend who took full advantage. I went to her house once and she had a pantry closet stocked FULL of formula. I asked her why she had so much, because there was no way she could use all of that. She said, “It was free”.
susie