Report: More US hospitals are encouraging breast-feeding

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 percent six years earlier.

Roughly 90 percent 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 percent of U.S. babies breast-feed, at least briefly.

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Online:

CDC report: www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns