Stats

Breastfeeding Stats from the CDC (the relevant ones are pasted below in case the page goes away.)


How many infants born in the United States are breastfed?

The CDC National Immunization Survey is a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population, among infants born in 2004:

73.8% were ever breastfed
41.5% were still breastfeeding at 6 months of age
20.9% were breastfeeding at 1 year of age
30.5% were exclusively breastfed through 3 months of age
11.3% were exclusively breastfed through 6 months of age
For additional breastfeeding statistics, see Data and Statistics.


Of the girls in this house:

100% were breastfed.
100% were exclusively breastfed through 3 months of age
66.3% were exclusively breastfed through 6 months of age
(N's pediatrician recommended we start rice cereal at 5 months. I was excited to see N growing up so I did. N loved food. She moved on to other food really quickly. While I don't think food so young hurt her, I wouldn't have been in such a hurry to try if she had been a second-born. The second time around, with K, we tried rice cereal around 5 or 6 months and she didn't like it. T didn't like food at first either. Both K and T didn't eat much other than nursing until they were 8 or 9 months old.)
100% were still breastfeeding at 1 year of age
(N pretty much weaned herself at 15 months. I could have probably kept going, but she wasn't interested.)
66.3% were still breastfeeding at 2 years of age
I'm guessing 66.3% were weaned at 3 years of age.
(K was and T will be if she doesn't wean before then.)