Nine out of 10 California mothers say they want to exclusively breast feed their newborns. But a new report shows that's not happening.
The California Women, Infants and Children Association released the report. It breaks down by county and by hospital the percentage of new mothers who exclusively breast feed their babies.
Countywide, about seven out 10 new moms rely on breast milk alone. But In some hospitals, less than half do.
Dr. Nancy Wight is medical director of Sharp Healthcare lactation services. Wight said there a number of things that influence breast feeding rates, including whether hospitals readily dispense formula to new moms. But she said cultural factors also loom large.
"I think basically people are in such a bottle feeding culture, both in the hospitals and outside in the general population, that they just don't trust the normal processes of breast feeding," Wright said.
She pointed out the vast majority of babies will do just fine on breast milk alone for the first six months.
