October 06, 2015 - 10:42 AM
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Health officials say more hospitals are encouraging new mothers to breast-feed.
A new report found more than two-thirds of hospitals in 2013 helped women start breast-feeding within an hour after birth. That's up from 44 per cent six years earlier.
Roughly 90 per cent of hospitals teach moms breast-feeding techniques and how to recognize and respond to infant feeding cues.
But only about a quarter refrain from giving infants breast milk alternatives — like formula or water — unless medically necessary.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed about 2,700 hospitals for the report released Tuesday.
Overall, about 80 per cent of U.S. babies breast-feed, at least briefly.
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Online:
CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns
News from © The Associated Press, 2015