Would you like to hear the good news first? Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 1999-2006 indicate that the percentage of infants ever breastfed increased from 60 percent among infants born 1993-1994 to 77 percent among infants born 2005-2006. The take home message? More babies are getting some milk.

On the downside, there was no significant change in the rate of breastfeeding at 6 months of age for infants born between 1993 and 2004. The take home message? More babies may be getting some milk, but not for long.

Breastfeeding rates were lowest among young mothers (those less than 20 years of age), low income mothers, and mothers identified as non-Hispanic black.

The lowest breastfeeding rates were reported among non-Hispanic black mothers. However, significant increases in breastfeeding rates have occurred in this group from 36 percent for infants born in 1993-1994 to 65 percent for those born in 2005-2006.