Numbers can be deceiving

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently released statistics on breastfeeding.  On the surface, they're encouraging.  77 percent of new moms breastfeed, at least for a little while.  That's up substantially (60 % in 1993-1994).  The rise is attributed in large part to better  education and awareness when it comes to breastfeeding.  But while everyone was celebrating the news, few read between the lines.

What didn't make a lot of headlines is the fact that the percentage of women breastfeeding at 6 months was only about 30 percent.  Why?  Well, there could be lots of reasons.  But one main one is, as women return to the workforce after maternity leave, they begin to wean their children.   Afterall, many need the money to help support their families.  And some women want to stay on their career tracks that they've worked so hard for (heaven forbid!).  Whatever your reason, returning to work shouldn't have to mean you have to give up nursing.  But it often does. 

For a country that boasts progressiveness, we're not very progressive in our thinking when it comes to supporting those who want to continue breastfeeding while working.  There's so much more we could do that we haven't done. While some states mandate that workplaces provide a clean, close and safe environment in which nursing mothers can pump, many have not.  And, what about a federally-mandated paid maternity leave?  We are woefully behind most countries on that count.

The reality is that until our leaders put their money, or their votes, where their mouths are, nothing will change.  Talk is cheap.  But if we want to continue to be proud of how progressive a country we are, we need to step up to the plate and hit a home run.