Where Minnesota Ranks for Breastfeeding Rates

More Minnesota mothers are breastfeeding and are breastfeeding longer, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The rate of Minnesota mothers beginning breastfeeding rose to 90.1 percent in 2013 from 84 percent in 2012. That is significantly higher than rates in neighboring states Wisconsin (80.3), Iowa (80.5), North Dakota (82.3), and South Dakota (83.6).

The new data makes Minnesota a top breastfeeding state in the nation, ranking 7th for beginning breastfeeding and fifth for breastfeeding at six months.

Minnesota is one of a dozen states meeting the Department of Health and Human Service's 2020 goal of 60.6 percent of mothers still breastfeeding at six months: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Massachusett, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington are the others.

Breastfeeding supports a child's growth and development, according to guidelines by the American Academy of Pediatrics. And the U.S. Surgeon General's Office notes the practice can prevent illness and reduce future health issues, including asthma, as well as the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

The CDC's annual survey of breastfeeding rates in each state is released during National Breastfeeding Month.

The survey notes progress across the country, with more than 80 percent of mothers breastfeeding at least once. But, at six months, nearly half of all mothers surveyed had stopped breastfeeding altogether. And only 22.3 percent were exclusively breastfeeding at six months, as recommended.

Of mothers surveyed in Minnesota:

• 90.1 percent are breastfeeding at least once
• 65.9 percent are breastfeeding at six months
• 31.4 are breastfeeding exclusively at six months
• 41.0 percent are breastfeeding at 12 months

The CDC hopes the state-by-state Breastfeeding Report Card will encourage all involved in the child's first year to encourage mothers to breastfeed — including politicians. The report goes beyond breastfeeding rates and looked at barriers to continued nursing.

"Mothers can better achieve their breastfeeding goals with active support from their families, friends, communities, clinicians, health care leaders, employers, and policymakers," said Dr. Ruth Petersen, director of the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity.

The CDC helps educate hospital staff through the "Best Fed Beginnings" program and has online resources to helpindividuals and entire industries support breastfeeding mothers. For its part, the U.S. Office on Women's Health offers employer solutions and "The Business Case for Breastfeeding."

Four female pilots with Frontier Airlines filed a lawsuit earlier this year. They claimed that, among other harmful policies, they weren't given accommodations for breastfeeding and pumping milk.
Public accommodations for breastfeeding often draw opinions and occasionally nasty comments from those people around nursing mothers.

Target supports breastfeeding in any area of the store, but a man lashed out at a nursing shopper in Torrington, Connecticut, in June. The mother recorded the man's rant and posted it on Facebook, noting that other shoppers and staff eventually intervened to protect her.

Several mothers staged a "nurse-in" at a Limerick, Pennsylvania, YMCA in May. The event was in solidarity with a mother who was told by staff to relocate while nursing her child, reportedly because she was making "men in the room uncomfortable."

- Greg Hambrick (Patch Staff)

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