There's a wide gap in breastfeeding rates among new mothers discharged from various San Diego area hospitals. A new report reveals most local mothers start breastfeeding in the hospital, but less than six out of ten exclusively breastfeed when they're discharged. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has more.
The report from U-C Davis ranks nearly every hospital in California in terms of breastfeeding rates.
There's a wide range in San Diego. For example, 93 percent of women exclusively breastfeed upon discharge from Scripps Memorial in La Jolla. But only 37 percent do so when exiting Sharp Medical Center in Chula Vista.
Dr. Nancy Wight is president of the San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition .
Dr. Nancy Wight: Some hospitals have a large number of Medi-Cal and low-income families, who, for whatever reason, healthcare professionals don't expect to breastfeed.
Wight says with rare exceptions, all babies should be fed only breast milk for the first six months.
Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News.
