So, just how low are the BF rates around you? - Page 2

[Robin926]

Wow... I knew they were low here, but I had no idea this low:

Mississippi
Initiation: 49.1 ±6.3
Six months: 21.1 ±5.0
One year: 8.2 ±3.0
Exclusive @3 months: 23.1 ±5.1
Exclusive @6 months: 4.6 ±2.2

Less than half the babies born here are EVER breastfed. I can't believe the exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months data, especially. 4.6%??? That just makes me sad.

[Sharlla]

Missouri

61.3 ±5.5 Ever
30.4 ±4.9-- 6 months
15.0 ±3.9 --12 months
31.4 ±4.9 exclusive @ 3 months
12.4 ±3.6 exclusive @6 months

When I was first pregnant and went to the preg class at WIC about 1/2 said they were going to FF despite all the info and encouragement to BF. I was a little surprised that that so many weren't even willing to try.

[ladybugs984]

Before my son was born i had only seen 1 woman breastfeeding EVER and i didn't meet another BF'ing mom until my son was 6 months old. I've seen abotu 4-5 other bf'ing moms sinse but that was at an AP playgroup, not really the average mother around here.

I definantly feel out of place nursing my almost 2 yr old. Everyone who finds out that i'm STILL breastfeeding asks me when i'm going to wean.

I live in california (one of the highest bf rates in the nation) but i haven't seen many women breastfeeding, all those crunchy moms live at the coast and i'm stuck right dab int he middle of the soggiest place on earth, its also a low income area. I guess i'm the minorty breastfeeder, young (19 when ds was born), low income, and on WIC but still breastfeeding my little boy.

[Sharlla]

I had never seen anothe woman breastfeed IRL ever until I was about 18. This from another country (wearing robes) was BFing a child that looked to be the age of 4ish. We were at the laudromat at the time.

[mely]

Originally Posted by Jade2561

I couldn't find the initiation rate but in Oklahoma only 9% of moms are breastfeeding at 6 months. I feel like a freakin anomaly walking around with my nursing 14 month old.

according to that chart - in OK 61.6 ±6.4 initiate 25.2 ±4.8 at 6 months and 9.0 ±2.7 at 12 months.

My middle son was born in Oklahoma and I didn't know anyone else who was bfing. I nursed him until 13 months and everyone was on my case to quit long before that - except for the ladies at WIC who thought it was awesome that I was nursing. We lived in a poor area and for some reason bfing rates seem to be low in poor areas.

Now I live in Oregon - which is tied with WA at 88% initiate. Dani is still nursing at 19 months and I dont see her quitting any time soon. Today we were at the indoor park and there were tons of nursing mamas there. I love seeing women with their babies all out NIP. It sure wasn't like that in Oklahoma!

[Robin926]

I posted the rates for where I live (mississippi) earlier in the thread, but I just remembered something that director of the birthing center where DS was born said when I went for my first appt. The center is in rural TN and even though the moms who come there have naturals births (obviously), they said they have a low breastfeeding rate with the local moms. The people who come from further away (like me) almost always breastfeed because they search the place out specifically to have a natural experience, and they kinda go together usually. Anyway, they said that the local moms were usually poorer and of course rural, and that in their mothers' and grandmothers' times, formula was touted as better than breastmilk. But at the time, their moms and grandmas couldn't afford the formula because they were too poor. So they breastfed (although I'm sure some used cow's milk). Now these women were raised hearing that, that the formula was what the "rich" women did and so much better. So that when they're having their own children, they decide not to breastfeed because "that's what the poor do."

I would've thought that by now no one felt this way anymore... but obviously they've asked a few of the moms and that was their sentiment. How sad that breastfeeding could still be looked down on because a few (lot) stupid doctors 40 years ago said that it wasn't good enough.

[wannabe]

Now these women were raised hearing that, that the formula was what the "rich" women did and so much better. So that when they're having their own children, they decide not to breastfeed because "that's what the poor do."

That is so sad, even more so because all the "rich" women are breastfeeding.

[BetsyPage]

I'm in Ann Arbor, MI and most moms I know outside of LLL do bf at least 6-12 months. I don't know anyone outside of LLL still nursing their 22 month old other than me, though.